NATION: A NATIONALISTIC, CIVIC OR POST-NATIONAL CONSTELLATION
NATION: A NATIONALISTIC, CIVIC OR POST-NATIONAL CONSTELLATION

Author(s): Srđan Vrcan
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Political Theory, Politics and religion, Nationalism Studies, Inter-Ethnic Relations
Published by: CEDET Centar za demokratsku tranziciju
Keywords: nation; nationalism; ethno-centrism; liberal nationalism; civic na­ tion; constitutional patriotism; state; democracy
Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of nationalism, raising the question about the possible shift from authoritarian ethno-nationalism to liberal nationalism. In the territories of the former Yugoslavia this option proved quite unrealistic in the 1990s, because all the dominant nationalisms were overwhelmed by the idea of a nation state, which is corroborated by the political practice of certain liberals within the framework of the dominant ruling nationalist paradigm. The matrix of nationalism has not yet been questioned, but the possibility of switching from hard to soft nationalism has been opened once the hard variant achieved some of its strategic goals, or was forced into defeat by external pressure. The civic nation is possible in the measure in which the modern state can be founded on the so-called constitutional patriotism in a way which is sustainable in terms of integration, legitimation and mobilization. A step towards a civic nation is desirable, but under the existing assumptions it is democratically unfeasible.

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