The [The Rise of the Nation-State](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/kwovs0/some_historians_talk_about_the_rise_of_the_nation/?user_id=107156619577) [[rAskHistorians|r/AskHistorians]] thread is really useful for understanding the perspective of people who are not part of a nation-state, because actual "nation-state" organizations are not actually the historical norm in many places, and the peoples on the fringe being able to take their ball and go home is really fascinating. The key concepts of statehood are: census-taking, surveying, and taxing -- because leaders need to know what their assets are in order to muster them for conflict. Border control is key and wasn't always really a thing during time periods without strong central government, particularly in Europe.