Patriotism has been a concern in all societies as citizens contemplate making special sacrifices for their nations. In existing literature, patriotism is usually understood as one’s feeling for his or her community, devotion to the nation, or allegiance to the state. In general, patriotism can be interior or exterior depending on whether the commitment is for ensuring national progress internally or for protecting national interest from external forces. The exterior mode of patriotism often takes the form of nationalism, emphasizing the priority of collective national interest over fragmented individual or group interests. Although patriotism or nationalism in the former colonies became a means of liberation, in many instances it has been used as a pretext or rhetoric to suppress minorities, practice social exclusion, deny human rights, and dominate powerless nations. In short, the concepts of nationalism and imperialism are related–beyond the purpose of national liberation, nationalism can be used for legitimizing the imperialistic mission of international hegemony.
