Redemption Songs: A Comparison of the Anthems of Modern Minority Nations

In the case of sub-state nationalisms, nation-building is fostered by political organizations, intellectuals and leaders. However, diverse forms of territorial autonomy and self-government bodies also allowed national movements to achieve some degree of institutionalization and promotion from above of their own symbols, particularly of their flags and their anthems. A high degree of fluidity and malleability is used to distinguish the use of symbols by national movements, at least in their early and middle stages of development. However, as this article argues using examples from East-Central, Southern and Western Europe, no direct correlation really exists between the strength and level of political development and/or social success of a national movement, and the consolidation of a more or less “stable” set of patriotic songs and anthems. As in the case of state-led nationalisms, anthems, both in their number and in the variations undergone by their lyrics and melodies, can also serve as an appropriate mirror through which to observe the relevance of political divisions, and different interpretations of the national community and its determining factors, within a national(ist) movement.