Civic nationalism

Not to be confused with Constitutional patriotism or national liberalism.

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Civic nationalism, otherwise known as democratic nationalism, is a form of nationalism that adheres to traditional liberal values of freedom, tolerance, equality, and individual rights, and is not based on ethnocentrism.[1][2] Civic nationalists often defend the value of national identity by saying that individuals need it as a partial shared aspect of their identity (an upper identity) in order to lead meaningful, autonomous lives[3] and that democratic polities need a national identity to function properly.[4] Liberal nationalism is used in the same sense as 'civic nationalism', but liberal ethnic nationalism also exists,[5][6] and "state nationalism" is a branch of civic nationalism, but it can also be illiberal.

Civic nationhood is a political identity built around shared citizenship within the state. Thus, a "civic nation" defines itself not by culture but by political institutions and liberal principles, which its citizens pledge to uphold. Membership in the civic nation is open to every person by citizenship, regardless of culture or ethnicity; those who share these values are considered members of the nation.[7]

In theory, a civic nation or state does not aim to promote one culture over another.[7] German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has argued that immigrants to a liberal-democratic state need not assimilate into the host culture but only accept the principles of the country's constitution (constitutional patriotism).[7]

Civic nationalism is frequently contrasted with ethnic nationalism. According to the American professor Donald Ipperciel, civic nationalism historically was a determining factor in the development of modern constitutional and democratic forms of government, whereas ethnic nationalism has been more associated with authoritarian rule and even dictatorship.[8] Indeed, the 20th-century revival of civic nationalism played a key role in the ideological war against racism.[9] However, as Umut Özkırımlı states, "civic" nations can be as intolerant and cruel as the so-called "ethnic" nations, citing French Jacobin techniques of persecution that were utilized by 20th-century fascists.[10] Some argue civic nationalism inevitably involves an underlying ethnic concept of national belonging because abstract values cannot be related to a specific place.[11]

  1. ^ Auer, Stefan (2004). Liberal Nationalism in Central Europe. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 1134378602. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. ^ Tamir, Yael. 1993. Liberal Nationalism. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-07893-9[page needed]; Will Kymlicka. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-827949-3[page needed]; David Miller. 1995. On Nationality. Archived 1 June 2000 at the Wayback Machine Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-828047-5.
  3. ^ Kymlicka, Will. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-827949-3. For criticism, see: Patten, Alan. 1999. "The Autonomy Argument for Liberal Nationalism." Nations and Nationalism. 5(1): 1-17.
  4. ^ Miller, David. 1995. On Nationality. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-828047-5. For criticism, see: Abizadeh, Arash. 2002. "Does Liberal Democracy Presuppose a Cultural Nation? Four Arguments." American Political Science Review 96 (3): 495-509; Abizadeh, Arash. 2004. "Liberal Nationalist versus Postnational Social Integration." Nations and Nationalism 10(3): 231-250.
  5. ^ Glenn Drover; Graham Johnson; Julia Lai Po-Wah Tao (2001). Regionalism and Subregionalism in East Asia: The Dynamics of China. Nova Science. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-56072-872-6.
  6. ^ Mark Hewitson; Timothy Baycroft (2001). What Is a Nation?; Europe 1789-1914. OUP Oxford. p. 180.
  7. ^ a b c ANNA STILZ. "Civic Nationalism and Language Policy". Philosophy & Public Affairs. 37 (3): 257.
  8. ^ Ipperciel, Donald (2007). "Constitutional democracy and civic nationalism". Nations and Nationalism. 13 (3). Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism: 395–416. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8129.2007.00293.x. ISSN 1469-8129.
  9. ^ Nancy Foner; Patric Simon (2015). Fear, Anxiety, and National Identity Immigration and Belonging in North America and Western Europe. Russell Sage Foundation. p. 38. ISBN 9781610448536.
  10. ^ Özkırımlı, Umut (2005). Contemporary Debates on Nationalism: A Critical Introduction (1st ed.). London: Red Globe Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 9780333947739.
  11. ^ Etherington, John (2007). "Nationalism, Exclusion and Violence: A Territorial Approach". Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. 7 (3): 24–44. doi:10.1111/j.1754-9469.2007.tb00160.x. Retrieved 20 February 2024. p.31