In many cultures throughout history, national identity has been closely tied to ideas of bloodline, ethnicity, and ancestry. These ideas have often been used to justify oppression, marginalization, and exclusion, particularly towards minority groups within a society. One way this has occurred is through the construction of what scholar Benedict Anderson calls "purity myths" - narratives that portray a group's origins as pure and homogenous, while demonizing others as impure or foreign. In these stories, reproduction plays a crucial role in maintaining and perpetuating purity, as children are seen as potential carriers of the nation's essence. As such, control over reproductive practices becomes essential for preserving national identity. This control takes various forms, from restricting intermarriage between different ethnic groups to regulating sexual activity among members of the same community.
In Japan during the Edo period, marriage was strictly controlled by a system known as miai, which involved arranged marriages between families of similar social status and geographic location. Any violation of this system, whether through elopement or extramarital relations, could lead to severe punishment or even death. Similarly, in India under British rule, laws were enacted to prevent people from marrying outside their caste, which was seen as contaminating the national body.
In addition to controlling who can marry whom, nations also use sexuality as a means of defining who belongs to the nation and who does not. This is often done through the concept of "blood-and-soil" nationalism, which emphasizes the connection between land, blood, and culture. In this framework, sexual relationships with outsiders (including those from other countries) are seen as threatening to the nation's survival because they dilute the bloodline and produce offspring that do not fully belong to the group. This has led to policies like China's one-child policy, which aimed to limit population growth and control fertility rates while simultaneously promoting Han Chinese ethnicity and cultural dominance. Similarly, during the Nazi era in Germany, the Nuremberg Laws criminalized interracial relationships between Aryans and non-Aryans, and promoted the idea of "pure" Germanic heritage.
These purity myths serve to create symbolic boundaries that separate insiders from outsiders, maintain power hierarchies, and reinforce exclusionary practices. They perpetuate ideas about what constitutes true belonging, creating divisions based on race, religion, class, and gender. By appropriating sexuality as a means of preserving national identity, these narratives contribute to systemic oppression and discrimination against marginalized groups, while also distorting our understanding of human relationships and intimacy. As we continue to grapple with issues of identity and belonging, it is crucial that we recognize the harmful effects of these myths and work towards more inclusive and equitable societies.
How do national purity myths appropriate sexuality as a means of protecting symbolic boundaries, controlling reproduction, and defining who belongs to the nation?
The concept of national purity is often based on the idea that a country's population must remain "pure" in order for it to be successful and prosperous. This belief can lead to a number of restrictions and controls on reproductive rights, including mandatory sterilization programs, restrictions on interracial marriage, and even forced abortions.