The Rights of Nations Nations and Nationalism in a Changing World

by Clarke, Desmond M.; Jones, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780312225957
• ISBN10: 0312225954
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-10-29
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The relatively recent emergence of the state as the exclusive focus of political authority and sovereignty has encouraged a collapse of the distinction between nations and states and an obliteration of the moral and political rights of nations. Much contemporary liberalism emphasizes the rights of individuals and the limits of the powers of states, which raises a number of fundamental questions about what defines a nation and about the rights which national groups may legitimately claim. This book presents essays which address these questions by some of the world's leading social and political thinkers.

Author Biography

Desmond M. Clarke is the author of L. de la Forge: Treatise on the Human Mind.

Charles Jones is Associate Professor of Politics at the University of Western Ontario.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction: Liberalism, Nationalism, and Self-Determination	1	(25)
Desmond M. Clarke
Charles Jones
Social and Religious Origins of Nations	26	(19)
Anthony D. Smith
The Right to National Self-Determination: Ethical Problems and Practical Solutions	45	(20)
Michael Freeman
Liberal Nationalism and Self-Determination	65	(23)
Neil MacCormick
The Age of Atonement: The Emergence of a New Political Paradigm	88	(12)
Yael Tamir
Minority Nationalism within Liberal Democracies	100	(27)
Will Kymlicka
The Limits of Cultural Politics	127	(18)
Brian Barry
The Ethical Status of Nationality	145	(22)
David Archard
Appendix: Agreement Reached in the Multi-Party Negotiations	167	(26)
List of Contributors	193	(2)
Bibliography	195	(10)
Index	205