How does nationalism seek to connect a nation with a state territory?

Nationalism seeks to connect a nation with a state territory by establishing the nation-state as a sovereign polity ruled in the name of a community that identifies as a nation. This connection is forged through several key mechanisms:1

• Political Legitimacy: The state is viewed as the "homeland" of a core national group, whose right to self-determination justifies control over the territory.1
• Nationalization of Space: States actively "nationalize" physical territory by naming infrastructure, streets, and natural features after national heroes or significant historical events.2
• Cultural Integration: Governments foster emotional commitment to the land through official education curricula that teach a shared national history, the use of national symbols like flags, and the establishment of memorial sites and monuments to nurture a collective memory.2
• Institutional Alignment: By adopting an official language and defining national holidays, the state reinforces the identity of the territory as belonging to the people, effectively fusing the principle of state sovereignty with the national community's right to govern itself.12

Ultimately, this process transforms a state into a "fatherland" or "motherland," where the state is identified as being of and for a particular nation.31