Constitutional Patriotism and the Post-National Paradox
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM AND THE POST- NATIONAL PARADOX: AN EXPLORATION OF MIGRATION, IDENTITY AND LOYALTY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL by KATHERINE E. TONKISS A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Government and Society College of Social Sciences University of Birmingham February 2012 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT Theorists of constitutional patriotism argue that the binding sentiment of shared national identity can be replaced with allegiance to universal principles, interpreted into particular constitutions through ongoing deliberative processes. In this thesis, I explore the implications of such an approach for the defensibility of restrictions on migration, a subject which has previously received very little attention. I argue that constitutional patriotism implies a commitment to the free movement of individuals across borders; but that freedom of movement itself creates challenges for the implementation of constitutional patriotism. This is because it may increase anti-immigrant, nationalist sentiment in the host community. I term this phenomenon the ‘post-national paradox’. I then draw on independently collected qualitative data on Eastern European migration to English rural communities to explore this post-national paradox. I analyse the argumentative strategies, as the well as the perceptions of difference, evident in justifications of anti- immigrant and nationalist sentiment in these contexts. I highlight both perceptions of cultural and economic threat, as well as a ‘banal’ sense of national loyalty, underpinning such attitudes; and suggest that discursive practice at the most local level is necessary for the bottom up construction, or growth, of an inclusive form of identity and belonging. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without the generous support of the Economic and Social Research Council, the Institute of Local Government Studies, and the Department of Political Science and International Studies, this research project would never have come to fruition. To all those involved I extend my warm thanks. I owe my deepest gratitude to Luis Cabrera, my supervisor, who has acted as a source of seemingly endless insight, inspiration, patience and motivational words in the development of this thesis. Special thanks are also due to Christopher Finlay, my second supervisor, for the exceptional support and guidance he has provided; and to John Raine and Karin Bottom, who have both played a vital role in my development as a researcher. The staff and graduate student body of the Politics Department at Princeton University are also deserving of thanks for their hospitality during my two month study visit in 2010. In particular, I am grateful to Jan-Werner Müller who acted as my supervisor for the duration of my visit; and to Alan Patten and Anna Stilz who offered further helpful comments on my work. Research is impossible without a subject, and so I would also like to thank all those who agreed to participate in the field study. Confidentiality agreements prevent me from listing names, however all participants were extremely generous with their time and shared valuable insights into their own lives and those of their local communities. I am often told that academic research can be a lonely task, however for me this has never been the case, thanks to my peers. In particular, Tatum Matharu, Mark Ewbank and Thom Oliver have provided great friendship and laughter, as well as help and advice, throughout the PhD process. I admire them all greatly for their determination and successes. I want to pay warm tribute to my family who, more than anyone, have made this path possible; and also to my extended family: my friends Naomi, Helen and the Awesome Foursome for distraction and support in equal measure. My final thanks are reserved for my fiancé Mark, who encouraged me to pursue this research, and has done everything possible to support me throughout. I am particularly grateful to him for keeping me sane during the final months of the project, and for responding to my many technological crises with patience and an (almost) straight face. TABLE OF CONTENTS Post-National Belonging ..................................................................................................... 1 Constitutional Patriotism and Migration ............................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 3 Post-National Belonging ..................................................................................................... 3 Constitutional Patriotism and Migration ............................................................................. 5 The Field Study ................................................................................................................... 7 Overview of the Thesis ........................................................................................................ 9 PART ONE: THEORETICAL CONCERNS .................................................................... 12 1. NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY.......................................................................... 13 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 13 1.2 Liberal Nationalism ..................................................................................................... 14 1.2.1 Liberal Autonomy and Self-Expression ............................................................ 17 1.3 Democratic Nationalism .............................................................................................. 20 1.3.1 The Willingness to Lose .................................................................................... 21 1.3.2 Trust and the Welfare State ............................................................................... 23 1.4 Democracy and Nationalism: A Critique .................................................................... 25 1.4.1 Democracy in Multicultural Contexts ................................................................ 26 1.4.2 Democracy in Multi-National Contexts ............................................................. 30 1.4.3 Democracy, Trust and the Welfare State ........................................................... 34 1.5 Dangerous Nationalism ............................................................................................... 41 1.5.1 Democracy and Globalisation ............................................................................ 42 1.5.2 Liberalism vs. Nationalism ................................................................................ 46 1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 49 2. CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM: A REFLEXIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL ACCOUNT ............................................................................................................................ 52 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 52 2.2 Defining Constitutional Patriotism .............................................................................. 53 2.2.1 The Contrast with Nationalism .......................................................................... 55 2.3 Habermasian Constitutional Patriotism ....................................................................... 58 2.3.1 Solidarity and Identity: The Habermasian Contradiction .................................. 66 2.3.2 A Critique of Regional Nationalism .................................................................. 71 2.4 Reflexive Constitutional Patriotism............................................................................. 74 2.4.1 The Reflexive Approach .................................................................................... 74 2.4.2 The Problem of National Dependence ............................................................... 79 2.4.3 Constitutional Patriotism as Transformation ..................................................... 85 2.5 Objections .................................................................................................................... 91 2.5.1 Constitutional Patriotism is Too Thin ................................................................ 92 2.5.2 Constitutional Patriotism is Too Thick .............................................................. 95 2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 99 3. CONSTITUTIONAL PATRIOTISM, MIGRATION AND THE POST-NATIONAL PARADOX .........................................................................................................................