State-Nation as opposed to Nation State means:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → All languages, ethnicities, religions and individual entities can co-exist peacefully and cooperatively in a single state
Option (1) Socially and culturally diverse countries being together — Incorrect. A state-nation is about the many communities within one state, not about several countries coming together.
Option (2) All states collectively rule the nation — Incorrect. The idea says nothing about the States of a federation ruling together; it is about how a state treats its ethnic, religious and linguistic communities.
Option (3) The centre rules over the states — Incorrect. The relation between the centre and the states is a question of federalism. A state-nation is defined by the coexistence of diverse identities, not by who rules whom.
Option (4) All languages, ethnicities, religions and individual entities can co-exist peacefully and cooperatively in a single state — Correct. A nation-state tends to favour one homogeneous national identity. The alternative is the ‘state nation’, where various ‘nations’ — ethnic, religious, linguistic or indigenous identities — can co-exist peacefully and cooperatively in a single state polity. India, with its constitutional protection for minorities, can be considered a good example of a state-nation.
NCERT (2025-26): “6.1 The Importance of Community Identity … By international standards, very strong constitutional protection is offered to minority religions. In general, India’s problems have been more in the sphere of implementation and practice rather than laws or principles. But on the whole, India can be considered a good example of a ‘state-nation’ though it is not entirely free from the problems common to nation-states.”
Box 6.2: National unity with cultural diversity – Building a democratic “state-nation” |
