(Routledge Studies in Modern History) 1st Edition
by Jasper M. Trautsch (Editor)
Recent events around the globe
have cast doubt on the assumption that, as a result of increasing
cross-border migrations and global interdependencies, nation-states are
becoming more inclusive, ethnic forms of identification more and more a
thing of the past, and processes of supranational integration
progressively more acceptable. Xenophobic forms of nationalism have once
again been on the rise, as became strikingly visible through the
results of the Brexit referendum, the election of Donald Trump, and the
inclusion of the Lega Nord in the Italian government.
It
is timely, therefore, to inquire how multiethnic forms of nationalism
can be re-promoted and for this purpose to re-investigate the concept of
civic nationalism. This book assembles case studies that analyse the
historical practices of civic or quasi-civic nationalisms from around
the world. By allowing for global comparisons, the collection of
articles seeks to shed new light on pressing questions faced by
nation-states around the world today: Are truly civic nationalisms even
possible? Which strategies have multiethnic nation-states pursued in the
past to foster national sentiment? How can nation-states generate
social solidarity without resorting to primordialism? Can the historical
example of civic or quasi-civic nation-states offer useful lessons to
contemporary nation-states for successfully integrating immigrants?
