Final answer:
Nationalists construct ideas about their nation through various methods, including promoting national identity through practices such as elections, censuses, schools, and public rituals. National identity can be based on factors such as language, ethnicity, religion, shared origin, or a combination of these. Nationalism can both unite and divide people, fostering unity and loyalty within a nation while generating hostility towards outsiders and marginalizing minority communities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nationalists construct ideas about their nation through various methods. Political elites and modern states actively cultivate a sense of nationalism by promoting national identity through practices such as elections, censuses, schools, and public rituals. National identity can be based on factors such as language, ethnicity, religion, shared origin, or a combination of these. The concept of nationalism can both unite and divide people, fostering unity and loyalty within a nation while generating hostility towards outsiders and marginalizing minority communities.