Liberal Nationalism

2. MUSIC: Italy, Guiseppe Verdi, “Va, pensiero” (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from
Nabucco 1842http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RAnyR5J3G4
Liberal nationalism= assumed their ‘nation’ existed in a natural way. In practice, leaders
worked hard creating a national sense by emphasising common culture, and focusing
on some oppressive external force.
The ‘Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves’ from the opera Nabucco has great political significance.
The composer’s name, V.E.R.D.I became a slogan Vittorio Emmanuale Rei de Italia
("Victor Emmanual, King of Italy“). Reference to Italy’s sole native dynasty and the
focus of nationalist hopes for unification with occupied Lombardy.
England: Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxqFdcZz974
The music here is Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 of 1902. During
World War I, it was used as the theme for part of a poem by A. C. Benson (1862-1925) ,
by the music hall star Marie Lloyd. It was immediately adopted as perhaps the second
most sung national song after God Save the King. Perhaps the reason was that it can
be sung with much more gusto:
Land of Hope and Glory,
Mother of the Free,
How shall we extol thee,
Who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider
Shall thy bounds be set;
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet.

3. Yael Tamir. Holds a degree in Liberal Nationalism at Oxford University.
Her major book,
Liberal Nationalism (Studies in Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy)
was first published in 1995.
Her aim was to evaluate whether liberal nationalism could be
established using the ‘Israeli test-case’. Her proposals are:
-nations form the sociological basis of our lives
-the prevalent paradigm of political life on the globe today is that of the ‘nation state’
-argues most liberals are de-facto liberal nationalists
-liberal nationalism is based on the premise of “"no individual can be context-free, but that all can be free
within a context"
-national self-determination is the single most important source of political legitimacy in contemporary
political life
-liberal nationalism is a prescriptive theory. It stipulates the conception of nationalism one ought to adopt
rather than describing the range of phenomena normally associated with nationalism
-organic interpretations of nationalism that "assume that the identity of the individual is totally constituted
by their national membership", this definition has strong individualistic leanings: 1
st
- a premium placed on
individual choice of communal identity. Tamir seeks to encourage "agents who acknowledge that their
ends are meaningful only within a social context, but who do not necessarily accept socially dictated ends
unreflectively“. Second, the right to national self-determination is conceived of as a right belonging to
individuals not to a collective: "the fact that we acquire an interest due to our membership in a particular
group does not alter its essential nature as an individual interest"

4. Civic (communitarian) view of the nation
Renan – a nation is characterised by the
‘will to live together’
Emphasis on political allegiance as well
as cultural unity
nations are moral entities – should be
treated equally
Individuals need national identity to lead
meaningful and autonomous lives

5. •Oldest form of nationalism (dating back to
the French Revolution)
•Spread quickly through Europe
•Many 21
st
century anti-colonial leaders
were inspired by liberal ideas –
Sun Yat-Sen – leader in China
Nehru – First PM of India
Background

6. Liberal Nationalists
•Mazzini – ‘prophet’ of Italian unification.
Wished to unite the Italian states getting
rid of Austrian influence
Only a democratic republic (like the USA)
could be a genuine nation-state
•Ideas shaped by Rousseau who defended
popular sovereignty
Renan – a nation is characterised by the
‘will to live together’

7. More Liberal Nationalists
•Mill – ‘the boundaries of government
should coincide in the main with those of
nationality’
•Wilson – adopted nationalist principles for
the reconstruction of Europe after WW1
•Wilson - Democratic nation states would
respect the national sovereignty of their
neighbours. Wars would no longer occur

8. Main ideas
•Nationalism does not divide nations by
rivalry and distrust. Capable of promoting
unity and brotherhood on the basis of
mutual respect
•National self-determination is a means of
establishing peaceful international order
(Wilson). Creating natural harmony and
balance

9. Main Ideas
•Oppose all forms of foreign domination
(colonial powers and multinational
empires). All nations entitles o liberty and
rights.
•Equality of nations. Ultimate goal is a
world of independent nation-states.

10. Criticism
•Romantic and naive ideas- even though
their ideas are rational they ignore the
irrational bonds that can arise from
nationalism e.g. racism, xenophobia and
tribalism
•Emotional power of nationalism – times of
war (patriotism)- willingness to die or kill
for one’s country

11. Criticism
•Wilson’s ideas failed to recognise that
nations do not always live in convenient
geographical areas
•Politically unified and culturally
homogenous nations can only be
achieved with extreme policies (ban on
immigration, deportation of ethnic
minorities) Goes against liberal principles
of being inclusive.