The Ethics of Nationalism by Margaret Moore

It is important to set sub-state nationalism in context and so I begin by discussing the tenacity of modern nationalism in Western Europe since the constitutional demands of sub-state territories such as Scotland and Catalonia show no signs of abating. It is certainly the case that when sub-state nationalists wish to assert constitutional claims, in particular the most fundamental claim - to statehood itself - they invariably turn to the referendum, and indeed the referendum is becoming an ever more prominent aspect of sub-state nationalist politics. In this paper, I address the connection between the referendum as a decision-making device and sub-state nationalism. It has been watched keenly in other countries such as Canada, Belgium and Spain.

This process has brought into vogue the referendum as a mode of settling issues of nationalism. 1 x This number significantly trumped the 65.1% who voted in the 2010 UK general election and the 50.6% who bothered to turn out for the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections. The turnout of 84.65% was the highest for any UK electoral event since the introduction of universal suffrage.

The discussion of national self-determination projets analyses the kind of prodedualright to secession that should be institutionalized in domestic constitutions or international law, and the psooibilities for accomodation rival caims to national recognition in the changing international order.On 18 September 2014, Scottish citizens voted 55%-45% to stay in the United Kingdom. The discussion of nation-building projects invloves a theory of the appropriate policies and principles that the state should follow in giving preferences to a particular national group. These insights are then applied to two central nationalist aspirations: nation-building and nationalself-determination projects. The author discusses the controversial and contemporary issues of rights of secession,the policies of the state in privileging a particular national group, the kinds of accommodations of minority national, and multi cultural identity groups that are justifiable and appropriate. The Ethics of Nationalism blends a philosophical discussion of the ethical merits and limits of nationalism with a detailed understanding of nationalist aspirations and a variety of national conflict zones.

The Ethics of Nationalism by Margaret Moore