May 9, 2023
ASN interviews Dr. Koter about a role of ethnicity in shaping African politics and the robustness of national identity in African countries, an area of research often overshadowed by ethnic identity.
April 3, 2023
Can we (and should we) compare China to other countries when analyzing nationalism? David Stroup discusses his latest article “Chinese Nationalism: Insights and Opportunities for Comparative Studies” (Nationalities Papers, vol.51 #1)
February 26, 2023
Interview with Vladimir Đorđević, Mikhail Suslov, Marek Čejka, Ondřej Mocek and Martin Hrabálek about their latest article in Nationalities Papers.
May 4, 2019
Recap of a panel on Yael Tamir’s “Why Nationalism”
Balancing Nationalism
How much is too much? During the book panel on Why Nationalism, author and renowned activist Yael Tamir explores the challenges of balancing nationalism with the liberal objectives in the consolidation of modern states. Discussing some of today’s most contentious issues Tamir defends a point throughout her intervention: there is no one solution to weakening democratic welfare states. Nevertheless, there is a common ground that must be explored politically: nationalism. Highlighting a clear differentiation between populism and nationalism, Tamir argues that this generalized state weakening has served a particular class of global elites while ostracizing a great majority of vulnerable individuals. To discredit them as simply populistsis to miss the greater picture. Masses arguing against the elites might not be wrong in describing a phenomenon that has disadvantaged them in significant ways. Democratic liberalism must take into account the voices of these vulnerables in establishing a model of statehood which recognizes the national demands while staying in line with a respect for minority rights and a focus on diversity. As highlighted by fellow panelists, the challenge lies in tailoring a meaningful solution to the cultural and local realities of the population through narrative construction of distinct identities. Finding solutions to modern nationalist concerns such as immigration must be done by appropriately identifying the underlying tensions, namely concerns for sovereignty and burden sharing. The vulnerability finds its voice through the nationalist discourse, which must be acknowledged. By recognizing the intimacy between the liberal, national and democratic arguments, solutions can be developed in responding to this vulnerability.
