Herder argued that language is crucial in forming a sense of self, and so the natural grouping for humanity is the nation—not necessarily the state, but the cultural nation with its shared language, customs, and folk-memory. He believed that a community is forged by a national spirit—the Volksgeist—which emerges from language and reflects the physical character of the homeland. He saw nature and the landscape as nurturing and supporting the people, binding them with their national character.

  People depend on this national community for happiness. “Each nation has its center of happiness within itself,” Herder asserts, “just as every sphere has its own center of gravity.” If people are taken out of their national environment, they lose contact with this center of gravity and are deprived of this natural happiness. Herder was not only concerned about emigration, but also immigration, which he believed upset the organic unity of national culture—the only true basis of government. “Nothing is more manifestly contrary to the purpose of political government than the unnatural enlargement of states, the mixing of various races and nationalities under one scepter.” Herder was referring to the perils of colonialism and empire building, but his ideas can be related to modern multiculturalism.

Herder’s ideas were an inspiration for the rising tide of Romantic nationalism that swept through Europe in the 19th century as a range of peoples—from the Greeks to the Belgians—asserted their nationhood and self-determination. But national or racial superiority was often assumed, culminating in the German persecution of the Jews, and in “ethnic cleansing.” Although the Holocaust cannot be laid directly at Herder’s door, he did state that Jews are “alien to this part of the world [Germany].”

Herder’s idea of a national center of gravity also ignores the diversity of views and cultures within each nation, and leads to national stereotyping. His emphasis on national culture neglects other influences—such as economics, politics, and social contacts with different people—making his views less credible in the modern, globalized world. Arguably, he overestimated the prominence of nationality in people’s priorities, which can be swayed by anything from family ties to religious views.

Nationalism as championed by Herder became an important part of the Nazi party’s ideology. This travel brochure from 1938 depicts an Aryan couple enjoying traditional folk dancing.