Why Nationalism

Resumen del libro

Why nationalism is a permanent political force--and how it can be harnessed once again for liberal endsAround the world today, nationalism is back--and it's often deeply troubling. Populist politicians exploit nationalism for authoritarian, chauvinistic, racist, and xenophobic purposes, reinforcing the view that it is fundamentally reactionary and antidemocratic. But Yael (Yuli) Tamir makes a passionate argument for a very different kind of nationalism--one that revives its participatory, creative, and egalitarian virtues, answers many of the problems caused by neoliberalism and hyperglobalism, and is essential to democracy at its best.

In Why Nationalism, she explains why it is more important than ever for the Left to recognize these qualities of nationalism, to reclaim it from right-wing extremists, and to redirect its power to progressive ends. Far from being an evil force, nationalism's power lies in its ability to empower individuals and answer basic human needs. Using it to reproduce cross-class coalitions will ensure that all citizens share essential cultural, political, and economic goods.

Shifting emphasis from the global to the national and putting one's nation first is not a way of advocating national supremacy but of redistributing responsibilities and sharing benefits in a more democratic and just way. In making the case for a liberal and democratic nationalism, Tamir also provides a compelling original account of the ways in which neoliberalism and hyperglobalism have allowed today's Right to co-opt nationalism for its own purposes. Provocative and hopeful, Why Nationalism is a timely and essential rethinking of a defining feature of our politics.

Biografía del autor

Yael Tamir (Tel Aviv, 1954) es una politóloga de origen israelí especializada en el estudio de los nacionalismos. Actualmente ejerce la docencia como profesora adjunta en la Blavatnik School of Government de la Universidad de Oxford. Institución en la que se doctoró en filosofía política bajo la tutela del filósofo y teórico Isaiah Berlin, de quien se considera discípula. Cofundadora en 1978 de la ONG Peace Now, que aboga por una solución de dos estados para el conflicto Palestino-Israelí, durante los 80 fue activa militante del partido izquierdista Ratz, con un enfoque feminista y pro derechos. En 1998 fue elegida presidenta de la Asociación Israelí por los Derechos Humanos. Entre los años 1999 y 2001, de mano del Partido Laborista, desempeñó el cargo de Ministra de Inmigración de su país. Años más tarde, entre 2006 y 2009, fue Ministra de Educación.