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Nationalism and Beyond: Introducing Moral Debate about Values
A very readable introduction to the concepts and principles shaping the philosophical debate around nationalism. The book provides portraits of two kinds of the tougher type, more common in everyday life, and the ultra-moderate "liberal nationalist" encountered in academia. The author introduces a debate with a "thoughtful nationalist," one who defends the view that states should be organized around national culture and that individuals have basic obligations to their nation. The author attempts to answer his opponent's standard arguments and presents a fully documented critique of his views. A passion born from Miscevic's encounter with nationalism in the former Yugoslavia glows from every line of the argument. Questions raised and discussed Why is radicalism typical of nationalism? How successful is the nation-state? Does nationalism support liberal-democratic values? Is membership in a nation necessary for human fulfillment and for understanding values? Why might nationalism be immoral? The book is unique not only because it explains a contemporary moral debate, in terms clear to the non-philosopher reader, but also because it has been written from the perspective of Central and Eastern Europe based on the author's personal experience.
327 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2001
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January 12, 2020
I want to add straight away, that this book is a criticism about nationalism. I find the title too plain, it could have a subtitle indicating this. because I am in the introduction and this book seems really good, what the world has been needing for the last 20 years.
It's too bad this book has disappeared from radar. Or never really got out there. A perfect handbook for anyone wanting to debate the nationalist view. It contains thinking we desperately need in this day and age. The author is Croatian himself and this book is pretty freshly written after the ex-Yugoslavian Crisis. So, he knows personally, what happens when the nationalists take over. It is emphasized in the book how moderate nationalism, too easily end in persecution, round ups, and acts of violence in comparison with open-minded cosmopolitanism, based on the basic value of humanity. There is a lot of good arguments in this book. First one is the idea of a nation-as a-basic-unit, which does not hold. Most countries have shared history, values, and tradition with their neighbouring countries, so the specialness of a nation is illogical, and and at the same time the neighbouring countries are the first to be drawn int conflict by the nationalist. Or, if one demands the independence for a region and it's peoples, a minority in a nation, what would logically follow that the minorities in the independence demanding nation should also be given independence. Miščević writes, the independence demands should be acted upon when that minority is mistreated, and in danger.
I found the questions of identity also good. One does not have one a fixed, immutable national identity when one is born to a place. Our identities consist of many and the autonomy of choice is the most important. I can be Finnish, cosmopolitan, woman, feminist, married, artist, fusion jazz enthusiast, cat lover, and it all makes life more enriching and interesting.
Cultures have always born out of a mix of influences, and they will continue to do so. Stifling this, to preserve one so-called correct culture, artistic or way of life, would only shrivel it to artificially preserved one.
The referred people are from the 1990's, would be intersting to see which direction they have gone. I really recommend this.
It's too bad this book has disappeared from radar. Or never really got out there. A perfect handbook for anyone wanting to debate the nationalist view. It contains thinking we desperately need in this day and age. The author is Croatian himself and this book is pretty freshly written after the ex-Yugoslavian Crisis. So, he knows personally, what happens when the nationalists take over. It is emphasized in the book how moderate nationalism, too easily end in persecution, round ups, and acts of violence in comparison with open-minded cosmopolitanism, based on the basic value of humanity. There is a lot of good arguments in this book. First one is the idea of a nation-as a-basic-unit, which does not hold. Most countries have shared history, values, and tradition with their neighbouring countries, so the specialness of a nation is illogical, and and at the same time the neighbouring countries are the first to be drawn int conflict by the nationalist. Or, if one demands the independence for a region and it's peoples, a minority in a nation, what would logically follow that the minorities in the independence demanding nation should also be given independence. Miščević writes, the independence demands should be acted upon when that minority is mistreated, and in danger.
I found the questions of identity also good. One does not have one a fixed, immutable national identity when one is born to a place. Our identities consist of many and the autonomy of choice is the most important. I can be Finnish, cosmopolitan, woman, feminist, married, artist, fusion jazz enthusiast, cat lover, and it all makes life more enriching and interesting.
Cultures have always born out of a mix of influences, and they will continue to do so. Stifling this, to preserve one so-called correct culture, artistic or way of life, would only shrivel it to artificially preserved one.
The referred people are from the 1990's, would be intersting to see which direction they have gone. I really recommend this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review