Constituting Communities: Political Solutions to Cultural Conflict

The pluralism of contemporary states is often conceptualised as a problem of culture, which calls for more social cohesion. This in turn requires political, civic solutions. But what such appeals to words like citizenship, constitutionalism or civic patriotism imply is contested. From a cross-disciplinary and conceptual perspective the book discusses political solutions to cultural conflict such as constitutional patriotism, republicanism and liberal nationalism, but places these debates in the context of real national traditions, where all civic language inevitably also reflects "culture".

The pluralism of contemporary states is often conceptualised as a problem of culture, which calls for more social cohesion. This in turn requires political, civic solutions. But what such appeals to words like citizenship, constitutionalism or civic patriotism imply is contested. From a cross-disciplinary and conceptual perspective the book discusses political solutions to cultural conflict such as constitutional patriotism, republicanism and liberal nationalism, but places these debates in the context of real national traditions, where all civic language inevitably also reflects "culture".

PER MOURITSEN is a lecturer in political theory at the Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark. KNUD ERIK JØRGENSEN is a Jean Monnet Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Aarhus.