This paper proposes an elite-driven framework to examine the role of intellectuals in shaping national identity. While conventional theories of nation-building emphasize macro-level factors such as wars, this study focuses on intellectual elites as key agents in constructing narratives of national identity. Rather than passively responding to external threats, intellectuals actively engage in framing cohesive national identities. We argue that war strengthens these efforts by fostering closer elite networks, which amplify their capacity to influence collective identity formation.
We test this theory in the context of imperial China during its transition from empire to nation-state—a period marked by external threats and internal upheaval. Chinese intellectuals, facing challenges to sovereignty, sought to adapt the Western and Japanese concept of the nation-state to China’s cultural and historical circumstances. Using a dataset of all Chinese-language journals published from 1860-1911, we trace how these intellectuals articulated visions of national identity in response to crises. This article contributes to the literature on nation-building by emphasizing the agency of intellectual elites, particularly in non-Western contexts.