The cultural community to which each nation is connected is a guarantee of spiritual cohesion and unity. However, in a negative vein, national culturalism can give rise to ethnic discrimination.
Herder's concept
The founder of the concept of a nation as a cultural community was the Lutheran priest Herder, who was carried away by the work of Kant, Russo and Montesquieu. In accordance with his concept, the nation was an organic group with its own language and culture. This concept formed the basis of the history of culture and laid the foundation for cultural nationalism, where the most important postulate was the value of national culture. Herder considered language to be the most important feature of the nation. In turn, the language gave rise to a distinctive culture, expressed in legends, national songs and rituals. Statehood here receded into the background, and collective memory and national traditions were of paramount importance.
The main idea of Herder's works was the definition of a nation as a natural community, descended from ancient times. Modern psychologists confirm this concept, because for their safety a person is inclined to form groups, which include many people who are close in spirit and culture.
