Ancient politics had to do with governing a people set in a particular location; so did the modern politics of the nation-state. With the large-scale population movements of the last half-century, the ethnic homogeneity of the nation-state (never entirely homogenous to begin with) has dissolved further. Nationality is no longer rooted, no longer founded in a particular location. Thousands of Mexicans are living across the border from Mexico, though retaining a sense of ethnic identity with Mexico – as Israel retained a sense of national unity even while dispersed throughout the Mediterranean world.
