HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM OF NATIONAL IDENTITY (from the experience of orient peoples in modern history)
The paper addresses the problems of national identity. The historical period is Modern Age, because during this period the ideas of “nation” and “nationalism” were created. The author researches the appearance of these ideas in three big Oriental countries: Japan, China and India. The author pays attention to the different circumstances of the appearances of these ideas because they influenced their interpretations. The Japanese thinkers created the notions of the Japanese people and the Japanese emperor as sacral united symbol independently from European thinkers. The Chinese thinker Lyang Cichao created the doctrine of “the new people” because the threat to China's independence. Upon his mind “the new people” must be able to create a strong and rich state. The Indian thinkers attracted attention to the political aspects of the European ideas of “nation” and “nationalism”. They considered that the European understanding these ideas gave rise to expansionism, aggression and colonialism. Some of the Indian thinkers considered, that the reasons of rise of “nationalism” were caused by domination of intellectual, rational principals in the European consciousness. They opposed to the ideas of perfect and moral personality working at national welfare. The author highlights that perception of the European experience by Oriental thinkers was with regars to their native religious and philosophical traditions.