Quote by E. J. Hobsbawm
Historians are to nationalism what poppy-growers in Pakistan are to heroin-addicts: we supply the essential raw material for the market.
Summary
This quote suggests that historians play a key role in the construction of national identity and pride. Similar to how poppy-growers in Pakistan provide the fundamental ingredient for producing heroin, historians provide the necessary historical narratives and accounts that fuel nationalist sentiments. It implies that historians, knowingly or unknowingly, contribute to the development and sustenance of nationalism by offering the raw material in the form of historical narratives that shape collective consciousness and strengthen nationalistic values.
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