Read the passage and answer the following question.

Historically, states have tried to establish and enhance their political legitimacy through nation- building strategies. They sought to secure... the loyalty and obedience of their citizens through policies of assimilating or integration. Attaining these objectives was not easy, especially in a context of cultural diversity where citizens, in addition to their identifications with their country, might also feel a strong sense of identify with their community-ethic, religious, linguistic and so on. Most states feared that the recognition of such difference would lead to social fragmentation and prevent the creation of a harmonious society. In short, such identity politics was considered a threat to state unity. In addition, accommodating these differences is politically challenging so many states have resorted to either suppressing these diverse identities or ignoring them on the political domain.

Policies of assimilation-often involving outright suppression of the identities of ethnic, religious or linguistic groups-try to erode the cultural differences between groups. Policies of integration seek to assert a single national identity by attempting to eliminate ethno-national and cultural differences from the public and political arena, while allowing them in the private domain. Both sets of policies assume a singular national identity.

Assimilationist and integrationist strategies try to establish singular national identities through various interventions like :

• Centralising all power to forums where the dominant group constitutes a majority, and eliminating the autonomy of local or minority groups.
• Imposing a unified legal and judicial system based on the dominant group's traditions and abolishing alternative systems used by other groups.
• Adopting the dominant group's language as the only official 'national' language and making its use mandatory in all public institutions.
• Promotion of the dominant group's language and culture through national institutions including state-controlled media and educational institutions.
• Adoption of state symbols celebrating the dominant group's history, heroes and culture, reflected in such things as choice of national holidays or naming of streets etc.
• Seizure of lands, forests and fisheries from minority groups and indigenous people and declaring them 'national resources'....

Which of the following can be considered a process that strengthens nation-building?

Accommodating differences within both private and public domain

The correct answer is Option (2) - Accommodating differences within both private and public domain.

This option aligns with the notion of integration, where the goal is to assert a single national identity in the public sphere while permitting diversity and differences to exist within the private domain. This approach acknowledges the importance of cultural diversity and identity while fostering a sense of unity and common purpose in the public sphere, which is essential for nation-building.

• Assimilating differences in all domains: This approach can suppress cultural diversity and lead to social tensions and feelings of alienation among minority groups, potentially hindering national unity.
• Integrating differences in the public domain but allowing differences in private: While allowing private expression of various identities, this approach can still create a sense of exclusion and marginalization within the public sphere, where individuals might feel pressure to conform to a dominant identity.
• Maintaining distinctions of populations and encouraging identity politics: This approach can exacerbate social divisions and make it difficult to foster a sense of shared national identity across diverse groups.