Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Audio recording of a 2016 lecture by the philosopher and cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah as part of his Reith Lectures on Mistaken Identities. He argues against a mythical, romantic view of nationhood, saying instead it should rest on a commitment to shared values. He explores the history of the idea, born in the 19th century, that there are peoples who are bound together by an ancient common spirit and that each of these nations is entitled to its own state. He says this idea is a mistaken one, illustrating his argument through the life story of the writer who took the pen name Italo Svevo - meaning literally Italian Swabian. He was born a citizen of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and became a citizen of the new republic of Italy, all without leaving his home city of Trieste. Appiah argues that states exist as a set of shared beliefs rather than membership of some sort of mythical and ancient group.
This lecture was given by Kwame Anthony Appiah at the University of Glasgow in 2016 as part of his Reith Lectures on Mistaken Identities.
00:00 Talk
31:19 Q&A
#philosophy #politicalphilosophy #politicaltheory #nationalism
Audio recording of a 2016 lecture by the philosopher and cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah as part of his Reith Lectures on Mistaken Identities. He argues against a mythical, romantic view of nationhood, saying instead it should rest on a commitment to shared values. He explores the history of the idea, born in the 19th century, that there are peoples who are bound together by an ancient common spirit and that each of these nations is entitled to its own state. He says this idea is a mistaken one, illustrating his argument through the life story of the writer who took the pen name Italo Svevo - meaning literally Italian Swabian. He was born a citizen of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and became a citizen of the new republic of Italy, all without leaving his home city of Trieste. Appiah argues that states exist as a set of shared beliefs rather than membership of some sort of mythical and ancient group.
This lecture was given by Kwame Anthony Appiah at the University of Glasgow in 2016 as part of his Reith Lectures on Mistaken Identities.
00:00 Talk
31:19 Q&A
#philosophy #politicalphilosophy #politicaltheory #nationalism
