Nation

Nation ia an English term usually referring to a group of people who share common characteristics attributed (e.g. language, traditions, customs, mores, habits, ethnicity, and in many cases, land/region). In a political sense it is often used with reference to a partiucular group which is/has become conscious of its autonomy, unity, and particular interests.

However, the term has always been controversial,

Use in South Africa

According to Ford's National Question: "a nation is not a racial or tribal, but a historically constituted community of people;" "a nation is not a casual or ephemeral conglomeration, but a stable community of people"; "a nation is formed only as a result of lengthy and systematic intercourse, as a result of people living together generation after generation"; and, in its entirety: "a nation is a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up manifested in a common culture."[3]

Related South African terms

However, in Afrikaans the words have a specific meaning and strong emotive qualities, notably in certain periods of the history of the Afrikaners, when the Afrikaans-speaking white population of the country were striving towards a sense of nationhood. For a long while thus it was broadly defined as a grouping of people who share a common history, language and ethnic origin, and usually govern themselves or strive for it.

Under the new, far more complex ethnic, linguistic and historic circumstances of the "New South Africa" of 1994, this definition is being challenged on a number of fronts, and in fact the country itself is faced with the dilemma of re-defining nationhood per se.