*** Welcome to piglix ***

Exceptionalism


Exceptionalism is the perception that a species, country, society, institution, movement, individual, or time period is "" (i.e., unusual or extraordinary) in some way. Although the idea appears to have developed with respect to an era, today the term is particularly applied to national or regional exceptionalism. Other uses are rarer in the present day.

The German romantic philosopher-historians, especially Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803) and Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), dwelt on the theme of uniqueness in the late 18th century. They de-emphasized the political state and instead emphasized the uniqueness of the Volk, comprising the whole people, their languages and traditions. Each nation, considered as a cultural entity with its own distinctive history, possessed a "national spirit", or "soul of the people" (in German: Volksgeist). This idea had a strong influence in the growth of nationalism in 19th-century European lands — especially in ones ruled by élites from somewhere else.

Claims of exceptionality have been made for many countries, including Australia,France, Germany, Hellas,India, Pakistan, Imperial Japan, Iran, Israel, North Korea, South Africa, Spain, Britain, the United States, the USSR, the European Union, and Thailand. Historians have added many other cases, including historic empires such as China, the Ottoman Empire, ancient Rome, and ancient India, along with a wide range of minor kingdoms in history.


...
Wikipedia

...