Nationalism and Particularity

Nationalism and Particularity is a work of political theory that examines nationalism in two ways. Firstly it draws out the ideological connections and associations of nationalism by analysing its relation to a series of key political concepts, theories and practices: namely, sovereignty, the nation state, citizenship, liberal theory, patriotism, communitarianism, multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism. Second, it looks at the drift to particularity in political debates by assessing nationalism as a key example of particularity. The central argument is that the notion of the particular in contemporary thought derives its moral and generative force from association with the idea of the personality and individuality. The book concludes that we should treat all forms of particularity with caution and scepticism. It is an original contribution to political theory accessible to students in philosophy, politics and law.

Andrew Vincent is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Sheffield.