Civic Nationalism

Civic Nationalism and Liberalism Nationalism

Most political scientists consider civic nationalism to be a form of Liberal Nationalism, and indeed this idea of the civic nation is fundamental in Liberal Nationalism.

Liberal Nationalism is a broader political ideology which focuses on applying the principles of Individualism and Self-determination to Nationalism. This means that Liberal Nationalists believe that all nations should have the right to form their own nation-states and govern themselves and should respect the sovereignty of other nation-states.

Liberal Nationalism is also based on Civic Nationalism, though and as such, believes in the civic nation and the ideas of a society based on shared civic values rather than ethnicity. But Civic Nationalists don't necessarily agree with the other parts of Liberal Nationalism.

Civic vs ethnic nationalism

Civic nationalism and Ethnic Nationalism are often compared and contrasted against one another. This is mainly because ethnic nationalism is viewed as an exclusive form of nationalism, whilst civic nationalism is inclusive.

Ethnic nationalism focuses not on chosen values but on pre-existing values such as an ethnic identity. It is upon this shared ethnicity and experience that a nation and its governance should be based. Ethnic nationalism tends to create an ‘us vs them’ distinction. You can see all of the differences in the table below.

German philosopher Johann Herder (1773-1803) is often viewed as the ‘father’ of ethnic nationalism as he believed that each nation has its own traditions, history and charm, which makes all nations unique. Therefore, nationalism is about upholding these traditional shared values rather than creating more universal or generic values that are not rooted in a shared history.

Civic nationalism – Countries

Many countries today are based on the values of civic nationalism. Below we discuss the examples of Canada, Brazil, and the USA.

Canada is a nation based on civic nationalism. Canadians voluntarily agree to abide by Canadian laws when they are given citizenship. Canada is also based upon a constitution, which is the supreme set of laws in Canada that outlines the rights and freedoms of Canadian citizens. Canada is a multicultural, multi-ethnic society. In fact, regions of Canada speak different languages, such as the French-speaking Quebec. However, this does not mean they cannot be classed as a Canadian citizen.

Brazil achieved independence from Portugal in 1822. As a result of colonisation and slavery, Brazil had many ethnic groups, cultures, and religions; therefore, homogeneity in those spheres was impossible. Therefore, to establish itself as a coherent nation-state, Brazil was founded upon civil nationalism.

The USA is a nation based on civic nationalism. One can be a citizen of America regardless of ethnicity or religion; there are Latino Americans, Irish Americans, African Americans and various other Americans. The USA itself was founded upon immigration. To be an American, one must uphold the USA's civic values, which include following the law and the constitution. Participation in a civic nation is voluntary; those who want to be American in their application to be citizens agree to abide by the laws.

Civic nationalism – Example

Civic nationalism is not just something that can be seen in terms of state rules on citizenship; w can also see civic nationalist values reflected in political parties.

An example of this in the UK is the Scottish National Party (SNP), a self-described civic nationalist party. At first glance, one would assume that the SNP are an ethnic nationalist party due to its desire for the independence of Scotland from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Still, the SNP does not seek independence based on ethnicity, as many ethnic groups reside in Scotland. The SNP does, however, seek the ability for Scotland to be governed based on the popular sovereignty of those who live within Scottish society and identify themselves as Scottish to resist governance by a Conservative Party that is viewed increasingly as being an English ethnic party as opposed to a civic nationalist party of the UK.

Fi. 1 Scottish National Party slogan

History of Civic Nationalism

Before the emergence of civic nationalism, Nationalism, particularly in Europe, was associated with people's ethnic backgrounds. Those with a shared ethnicity or culture became a collective nation that established nation-states where the sense of belonging was tied to ethnicity.

In these nation-states, there was no need to actively volunteer or buy into one's citizenship as ethnolinguistic characteristics already predetermined this. However, this idea of what forms the basis of nation-states began to change in the Enlightenment period as many thinkers started questioning the need for ethnicity to determine nationhood alongside questioning other societal aspects such as governance by a hereditary monarchy.

Fig. 2 Portrait of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The history of civic nationalism is also rooted in the American Revolution of 1776. After Americans won the revolution and the right to govern themselves independently, the idea of civic nationalism became entrenched in the fabric of the US through the creation of the US Constitution. The constitution produced a government that sought to govern not based on hereditary monarchy or the representation of a particular ethnolinguistic group but one that represented the people. The constitution allowed for citizenship to be established on the basis of an ascription to the political values outlined in the constitution, as opposed to other characteristics.