The Pledge of Allegiance in the United States is one of the most overt forms of banal nationalism - most are less obvious.

Banal nationalism refers to the everyday representations of the nation which build a sense of national solidarity in the citizenry. The term is derived from Michael Billig's 1995 book of the same name. Today the term is used primarily in academic discussion of identity formation and geopolitics. Dorothea Lange picture of Japanese-American children reciting the pledge of allegiance File links The following pages link to this file: Pledge of Allegiance Categories: United States government images ... Dorothea Lange picture of Japanese-American children reciting the pledge of allegiance File links The following pages link to this file: Pledge of Allegiance Categories: United States government images ... Students reciting the Pledge at Rafael Weill Elementary School, San Francisco, California, April 20, 1942 prior to Japanese American internment (photo by Dorothea Lange) [1] The Pledge of Allegiance is a promise or oath of allegiance to the United States as represented by its national flag. ... One of the most influential doctrines in history is that all humans are divided into groups called nations. ... Michael Billig is one of the key figures in contemporary social psychology. ...

Examples of banal nationalism include the use of flags in everyday contexts, sporting events, national songs, symbols on money, popular expressions and turns of phrase, patriotic clubs, the use of implied togetherness in the national press, for example, the use of terms such as the prime minister, the weather, our team, and divisions into "domestic" and "international" news, etc... Many of these symbols are most effective because of their constant repetition, and almost subliminal nature. Nationalism and sport are often intertwined, as sports provide a venue for symbolic competition between nations; sports competition often reflects national conflict, and in fact has often been a tool of diplomacy. ... The National Anthem is the name of a song by the band Radiohead. ... A subliminal message is a signal or message designed to pass below (sub) the normal limits of perception. ...

Michael Billig's primary purpose in coining the term was to clearly differentiate every-day, endemic nationalism from extremist variants. He argued that the academic and journalistic focus on extreme nationalists, separatist movements, and xenophobes in the 1980s and 90s obscured the modern strength of nationalism, by implying that it was a fringe ideology. He noted the almost unspoken assumption of the utmost importance of the nation in political discourse of the time, for example in the calls to protect Kuwait during the 1991 Gulf War, or the Falkland Islands in 1982. He argues that the "hidden" nature of modern nationalism makes it a very powerful ideology, partially because it remains largely unexamined and unchallenged, yet remains the basis for powerful political movements, and most political violence in the world today. However, in earlier times calls to the "nation" were not as important, when religion, loyalty, or family might have been invoked more successfully to mobilize action. He also uses the concept to disupte "post-modernist" claims that the nation-state is in decline, noting particularly the continued hegemonic power of American nationalism. Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Separatism is a term usually applied to describe the attitudes or motivations of those seeking independence or separation of their land or region from the country that governs them. ... For the phobic attitude, see Xenophobia. ... (Redirected from 1991 Gulf War) See also: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Gulf War (disambiguation) C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States. ... Postmodernism (sometimes abbreviated pomo) is a term applied to a wide-ranging set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture, which are generally characterized as either emerging from, in reaction to, or superseding, modernism. ... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ... Hegemony (pronounced or ) (Greek: ) is the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that, for instance, the dominant party can dictate the terms of trade to its advantage; more broadly, cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...