Liberalism, Nationalism, Citizenship

Ronald Beiner is a professor of political science at the University of Toronto.

• IntroductionPart 1: Citizenship versus Liberalism1 Liberalism, Nationalism, Citizenship: Three Models of Political Community2 The Fetish of Individuality: Richard Flathman's Willfully Liberal Politics3 Civic Resources in a Liberal Society: "Thick" and "Thin" Versions of Liberalism4 From Community to Citizenship: The Quest for a Post-Liberal Public Philosophy5 Is There Such a Thing As a Communitarian Political Philosophy?Part 2: Citizenship versus Nationalism6 Nationalism's Challenge to Political Philosophy7 Reflections of a Diaspora Jew in Israel8 Hannah Arendt As a Critic of Nationalism9 National Self-Determination: Some Cautionary Remarks on the Rhetoric of Rights10 Citizenship and Nationalism: Is Canada a "Real Country"?11 1989: Nationalism, Internationalism, and the Nairn-Hobsbawm Debate12 Civicism between Nationalism and GlobalismIndex

This book is an important addition to the rapidly proliferating literature on questions of citizenship. Ronald Beiner offers a rich normative-philosophical reflection and valorization of the idea of citizenship, specifically to demonstrate that neither liberalism nor nationalism fully honours what he calls the "civic idea." ... Though the book does not ultimately supply a radical theory of citizenship, it does make a valuable contribution to critiques of liberalism and nationalism as well as theories of citizenship and community. The analysis is contextualized, nuanced well-organized, and showered with lively links between theory and practice. It presents a skilful overview of contemporary debates by addressing some of the most important and difficult questions of citizenship and community, and persuasively resituates the concept of citizenship. It is a useful and relevant book for students of politics and political theory. - Rita Dhamoon (University of Toronto Quarterly, Winter 2004/05)