Patriotism
Political Profiles Series
1. Edition March 2018
120 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Short Description
From flag-waving to the singing of national anthems, the practices and symbols of patriotism are inescapable, and modern politics is increasingly full of appeals to patriotic fervour. But if no-one chooses where they were born, and our ethical obligations transcend national boundaries, then does patriotism make any sense? Does it encourage an uncritical attachment to the status quo, or is it a crucial way of understanding and applying our freedoms and moral duties?
In this engaging book, Charles Jones and Richard Vernon guide us through these questions with razor-sharp clarity. They examine the different ways patriotism has been defended and explained, from a republican attachment to free and democratic institutions to an ethical and historical fabric that makes our entire moral life and identity possible. They outline its relationship to a range of other key concepts, such as nationalism and cosmopolitanism, and skilfully analyse the issues surrounding partiality to country and whether we should prioritise the welfare of our compatriots over outsiders.
This concise and lucid volume will be essential for both students and general readers wishing to understand the contemporary resonance and historical development of patriotism, and how it intersects with debates about global justice, cosmopolitanism and nationalism.
From flag-waving to the singing of national anthems, the practices and symbols ofpatriotism are inescapable, and modern politics is increasingly full of appeals topatriotic fervour. But if no-one chooses where they were born, and our ethicalobligations transcend national boundaries, then does patriotism make any sense? Doesit encourage an uncritical attachment to the status quo, or is it a crucial way ofunderstanding and applying our freedoms and moral duties?
In this engaging book, Charles Jones and Richard Vernon guide us through thesequestions with razor-sharp clarity. They examine the different ways patriotism has beendefended and explained, from a republican attachment to free and democraticinstitutions to an ethical and historical fabric that makes our entire moral life andidentity possible. They outline its relationship to a range of other key concepts, such asnationalism and cosmopolitanism, and skilfully analyse the issues surroundingpartiality to country and whether we should prioritise the welfare of our compatriotsover outsiders.
This concise and lucid volume will be essential for both students and general readerswishing to understand the contemporary resonance and historical development ofpatriotism, and how it intersects with debates about global justice, cosmopolitanismand nationalism.
* Introduction
* Chapter 1: Community, Loyalty, and Partiality
* Chapter 2: Nationalism, Patriotism, and Cosmopolitanism
* Chapter 3: The Republican Alternative
* Chapter 4: Special Concern for Our Compatriots
* Conclusion: A Subsidiarity Defence
* References
Eamonn Callan, Stanford University
"In this timely work Charles Jones and Richard Vernon comprehensively examine the idea of patriotism, the different forms it might take, and how it might relate to other important concepts including nationalism and cosmopolitanism. This is a rich and accessible introduction to an important idea playing a key role in current political discourse."
Gillian Brock, University of Auckland
"This book is a subtle and elegant discussion of the nature of patriotism, which manages to survey a vast literature without pedantry, while lucidly and persuasively defending a particular conception of love of country."
K. Anthony Appiah, New York University
Richard Vernon is Distinguished University Professor of Political Science at Western University, Canada
