Intranatiology: A New Field For Knowledge

Intranatiology: A New Field for Knowledge.

Intranatiology comes from two Latin words (“intra”, meaning “in” and “natio” for “nation”) and a Greek word (logos, for the science or knowledge of). It is the science of understanding intralization. Intranatiology is a term coined by Dr. A. Frangi in 2017 to formalize a new type of conflict he had proposed in the United States of America in 1993. See The Internationalized Non-International Armed Conflicts in Lebanon: 1975-1990, 22 Capital University Law Review 965 (1993), in conclusion, p. 1031. Intranatiology (Tome I) is published in French by the Editions universitaires europeennes, Saarbrucken, Germany (September 2018), ISBN: 978-3841791245.

 Intranatiology introduces (a) a new understanding of the term international, and (b) a new subject matter. The term international is currently conceived as a “link”, like online activities, or “coming together”, as conventions or organizations. In both types of activities, the understanding of international is limited to agreement. Beyond agreement as such, and concerned solely with human activity, Intranatiology conceives the term of international as the activity that is “inter”, meaning “from here to there”, to put it in Frangi’s words. This understanding finds its origin in another theory we find in Frangi’s Groupal Religion, the religion he has been declaring since 2010. See La Religion Groupale, pour le salut de l’Humanite, Editions Universitaires Europeennes, Saarbrucken, Germany (september, 2014), ISBN: 978-613-158-0840. Frangi names this theory as « what is complete is incomplete ». He means that that which is complete here appears to be incomplete elsewhere in different shape. The Chinampa, a group of small artificial floating islands of gardens, which were created by the Aztecs, still exist in the southern valley of Mexico City. First used for horticultural production purposes, the floating gardens currently generate worldwide tourism. Tourists pass through the artificial islands by canoes. This complete Aztec tradition appeared to be incomplete; meaning that it was completed in a different shape, in Venice, the floating city, a group of small islands linked by bridges. Tourists pass through them by boats. There was no need for a contact between the floating city and the floating islands of gardens. Another example Frangi cites is the Ifugao people’s rice culture. Rice is their primary subsistence crop. They cultivated it in the mountains of an altitude ranging from 1200 feet to 5000 feet in northern Luzon, in the Philippines. This Ifugao way of life is deeply embedded in their history, yet appeared to be incomplete; meaning that it was completed more than 500 years later, in a different way of life, in the Valley of the Saints in Lebanon, where the monks planted the mountain with olive trees, their primary subsistence stone fruit; and olive oil was used by the monks for cooking, lighting, and ointment. There was no contact between the monks’ and Ifugao’s ways of life.

(b) As an application of this theory, intranatiology studies how an international situation appears to be national, or vice versa, through natural steps. Actually, two things are said to be “one” when one completes the other in the same movement of act. Now, a conflictual situation which breaks out nationally is itself an international, because it is completed internationally in the same movement of act. Frangi calls this activity, nationally international. This is the situation of September 11 attacks in the United States; it appears as violent attacks against Muslims in Australia and Canada; or the situation of Black September in Jordan which appears one of armed conflict in Lebanon beginning from 1975. Now, a conflictual situation which breaks out internationally is itself national, because it is completed nationally, if taken within the same movement of act. Frangi calls this activity, internationally national. This is the situation of the bombardments carried out by the United States on Afghanistan in 2001; it appears as fights between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. In consequence, the national and international situations are the same, one completing the other within the same movement of act: The intra-national movement. This is the subject-matter of Intranatiology.

Intranatiology has received favorable comments in the prestigious Lebanese daily newspaper Al-Anwar. See Hannah, P.,“Frangi’s Intranatiology: A New Field for Knowledge”, Al-Anwar, 4 April 2008, p.19; 19 April 2008, p.19; 6 May 2008, p.19; 19 May 2008, p.19.

Petra Hanna, Ph.D./petra.hanna@outlook.com