How can ethno-nationalism shape borders?

• A. Ethno-nationalism emphasizes a collective national identity based on ethnicity; it can drive secession or redrawing borders.
• B. Ethno-nationalism promotes universal citizenship regardless of ethnicity.
• C. Ethno-nationalism discourages any change to borders.
• D. Ethno-nationalism is solely an economic policy.

Answer: (A)

Ethno-nationalism centers a nation’s identity on a specific ethnicity, language, or culture, and treats borders as the political expression of that group’s homeland. When a state is seen as belonging to a particular ethnicity, leaders and movements may push to create, expand, or redraw borders so that the territory aligns with that ethnic nation. This can lead to secession—where a region seeks to break away to form its own state—or to redrawing boundaries to include or exclude populations in order to achieve ethnically homogeneous rule or self-determination. The idea is not about universal citizenship or economic policy, but about shaping political space to fit ethnic identity.