The Paradoxes of Nationalism: The French Revolution and Its Meaning for Contemporary Nation Building

by Keitner, Chimene I.

• ISBN13: 9780791469583
• ISBN10: 0791469581
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

The Paradoxes of Nationalism explores a critical stage in the development of the principle of national self-determination: the years of the French Revolution, during which the idea of the nation was fused with that of self-government. While scholars and historians routinely cite the French Revolution as the origin of nationalism, they often fail to examine the implications of this connection. Chimene I. Keitner corrects this omission by drawing on history and political theory to deepen our understanding of the historical and normative underpinnings of national self-determination as a basis for international political order. Based on this analysis, Keitner constructs a framework for evaluating nation-based claims in contemporary world politics and identifies persistent theoretical and practical tensions that must be taken into account in contemplating proposals for "civic nationalism" and alternative, nonnational models. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Chimene I. Keitner is an independent scholar who holds a PhD in International Relations from Oxford University

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Prologue	p. 1
Paris, June 1789	p. 1
Examining the Nation-State Principle	p. 3
Exploring the French Revolution	p. 12
Conception: How to Imagine a Preexisting, Voluntarist Nation	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Conceptions of the Nation in Eighteenth-Century Polemical Dictionaries	p. 24
Conceptions of the Nation in Social Contract Theories	p. 35
Conclusion	p. 42
Constitution: How to Give the Nation a Political Voice	p. 45
Introduction	p. 45
The Entrenchment of the Nation in French Political Rhetoric	p. 47
The Creation of a National Assembly	p. 55
The Contribution of the Abbe Sieyes	p. 61
Conclusion	p. 67
Composition: How to Define Insiders and Outsiders	p. 69
Introduction	p. 69
Implementing National Sovereignty	p. 71
Defining National Membership	p. 74
Consolidating National Identity	p. 80
Conclusion	p. 84
Confrontation: How to Interact with Other Political Units	p. 87
Introduction	p. 87
Revolutionary Principles	p. 90
Revolutionary Policies	p. 99
Revolutionary Practice	p. 104
Conclusion	p. 116
Synthesis	p. 121
Introduction	p. 121
Drawing Insights from the Four Paradoxes	p. 122
Re-examining the Nation-State Principle	p. 127
Exploring Alternatives to Nation-Statism	p. 130
Conclusion	p. 145
Epilogue-Confrontation Revisited	p. 149
Introduction	p. 149
Exporting American Ideals	p. 151
Building an Iraqi Democracy	p. 159
Conclusion	p. 163
Conclusions	p. 167
Appendix	p. 171
Notes	p. 175
Selected Bibliography	p. 217
Index	p. 227
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