The Postnational Constellation Political Essays

by Habermas, Jü; rgen

• ISBN13: 9780745623511
• ISBN10: 0745623514
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-12-27
• Publisher: Polity

Summary

Does a global economy render the traditional nation-state obsolete? Does globalization threaten democratic life, or offer it new forms of expression? What are the implications of globalization for our understanding of politics and of national and cultural identities? In The Postnational Constellation, the leading German philosopher and social theorist J?rgen Habermas addresses these and other questions. He explores topics such as the historical and political origins of national identity, the catastrophes and achievements of "the long twentieth century," the future of democracy in the wake of the era of the nation-state, the moral and political challenges facing the European Union, and the status of global human rights in the ongoing debate on the sources of cultural identity. In their scope, critical insight, and argumentative clarity, the essays in The Postnational Constellation present a powerful vision of the contemporary political scene and of the challenges and opportunities we face in the new millennium. Those unfamiliar with Habermas's theoretical work will find in this volume a lucid and engaging introduction to one of the world's most influential thinkers. For readers familiar with Habermas's writings, The Postnational Constellation provides an invaluable application of his social and political theories to current political realities.

Author Biography

Jurgen Habermas is Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Frankfurt.

Table of Contents

Editor's Introduction

Foreword

What is a People? The Frankfurt "Germanists' Assembly" of 1846 and the Self-Understanding of the Humanities in the Vorm?rz

On the Public Use of History

Learning from Catastrophe? A Look Back at the Short Twentieth Century

The Postnational Constellation and the Future of Democracy

Remarks on Legitimation through Human Rights

Conceptions of Modernity: A Look Back at Two Traditions

The Differing Rhythms of Philosophy and Politics: Herbert Marcuse at 100

An Argument against Cloning: Three Replies

Notes

Index

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