Comprehensive and insightful outlining of the various normative arguments on nationalism:
Reminders:
1. Only the best 3 will be given pts.
2. First to upload gets copyright of that submission (Hence no repetition of ideas).
3. Deadline is December 15, 2012 (8:00 p.m.).
Online classroom of Ronald Castillo y Maglaqui, Professor of Political Science at the University of Santo Tomas - Faculty of Arts and Letters. But for the time being, starting 2022, this blog serves as a student's public notebook of thoughts while he undertakes his international PhD in Asia Pacific Studies at National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan. Reach him through rmcastillo@ust.edu.ph
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTHE LIBERATION ARGUMENT
ReplyDelete1. The liberation argument has three simplified definitions.
1.1. It refers to one of the most crucial features of anti-colonial struggles in the Third World
1.2. It is a legitimation of the nationalist principles which countered European colonialism during the 19th century and the reason for the advent of the subsequent process of decolonization.
1.3 According to Berlin (1991), it refers to the desire of the oppressed people for self determination. He argued that people preferred to be ruled by the members of their own faith or nation or class even if this entails ill-treat and abuse.
2. With reference to the statement of Berlin, the argument regarding liberation faces a moral dilemma because even those who are opposed to nationalism are prepared to tolerate or endorse the struggle of the oppressed people for autonomy, even though the struggle are in the same nationalist principles they condemn.
3. Hence, the liberation argument gathered the following criticisms.
3.1 We can oppose colonialism and imperialism on the basis of more universal values such as human rights, equality,freedom and solidarity with the oppressed people instead of obliging us to defend imperialism even though we reject nationalist principles.
3.2 Nationalism has double standards and it is best exemplified by the historical record of post-colonial nationalisms
3.2.1 Connor: Independence movements are essentially political in nature because it is not in accord with the geographical distribution of national groups which lead to the formation of a host of multinational states.
3.2.2 Habermas: "National independence is often to be had only at the price of civil war, new kinds of repression or ensuing the initial conflicts with the signs reversed."
3.2.3 Canovan: The animosity between colonizers and colonized was sometimes enough to unify the latter and create a brief illusion of nationhood during the struggle for independence; however, once independence was achieved, the new state will face the problem of giving substance to that illusion.
3.2.4 Lichtenberg: The values cherishes by the liberation argument are not upheld by nationalist movements themselves.
4. As a conclusion, the author of the article proposes two options to resolve the problems brought about by the liberation argument
4.1 As a reiteration of the mentioned problem above, we can simply oppose oppression in the name of universal values such as justice, freedom and solidarity, without succumbing to the enticements of nationalism.
4.2 We must constantly remind ourselves that often the cause of oppression is another nationalism, which promotes the interests of the majority at the expense of minority groups; thus, we must refrain from curing nationalism with more nationalism and consider keeping majority nationalism in check in order to forestall the crystallization of an equally nationalist defense.
DOCE, BRIAN U
ENDAYA, JEANOEL G
CORONEL, DAR AMBER
THE IDENTITY ARGUMENT
ReplyDelete1. Identity argument is based on the idea that national membership plays a great role in obtaining personal identity.
2. There are essentially two circumstances that account for national identities’ significance.
2.1 First, national identities provide a sense of continuity, that which enables individuals to surpass everything that restrict their own existence.
2.1.1 MacCormick: The awareness of belonging to a nation serves as one of the many ways that allows individuals to overcome boundaries concerning space, time, and mortality in this early existence.
2.1.2 Tamir: Being part of the continuum of human life and creativity is brought about by the veneration given to that sense of continuity by individuals.
2.2 Second would be the importance of national identities for human flourishing.
2.2.1 MacCormick: Human beings differ from individuals in the sense that to be able to attain the title of the latter, the former must have social experiences within human communities.
2.2.2 Nielsen: There is that inherent and pervasive desire in every human being for knowledge of self-identification or self-definition.
2.2.3 Margalit and Raz: In order for humans to flourish, the prominence of recognition in national membership must be taken into consideration.
3. However, though the aforementioned theories were insightful, there still exist bare flaws.
3.1 Lichtenberg: The universality of the need to identify with a nation-like entity or the extent to which such identification contributed to a person’s flourishing remains questionable.
3.2 Lichtenberg: The implausibility of the claim that belongingness to a nation is particularly significant for a person’s self-development and flourishing.
3.3 Kirloskar-Steinbach: Given the fact that a person benefits from one’s culture, one cannot jump to the conclusion that the culture in question needs to be protected.
4. To conclude the deliberation regarding identity argument, the author chooses to argue following the stand of Beiner.
4.1 The possession of a given identity confers no normative authority on the kind of politics that goes with that identity.
4.2 Thus, the relevance of identity must not be the concern of political philosophers, but rather on how to quantify the normative claims exemplified by the conflicting visions of identity.
4.3 Finally, the appeal to identify by itself gives us no reason to favor the distinctively nationalist way of conferring identity, as opposed to other possibilities, such as a determinedly non-nationalistic civic identity.
MONTERO, KIM
QUIZON, JANELLA
SUSANO, JOMARI
I. The Cultural Context Argument as one of the instrumental arguments in defense of Nationalism.
ReplyDelete1.1 There are liberal assumptions on answering “Why cultural membership important.”
1.1.1 Individuals make autonomous choices in life but their choices were dependent on their cultures.
1.1.2 For rich and flourishing culture is essential, it is their concern to protect and adopt measures to protect their cultures they are attached.
1.2. There are claims that support the Cultural Context Argument.
1.2.1 The most eloquent articulators of Cultural Context Argument, Margalit and Raz gave their statements.
1.2.1.1 Membership of such groups provides opportunities, social relationships and identity that make up an individual well-being.
1.2.1.2 The prosperity and decline of culture affects the opportunities and options available to its members.
1.2.1.3. Self- respect should exist in such groups so it will not be subject to one’s hatred, discrimination and persecution.
1.2.2. almost similar account to Margalit and Raz was vowed by MacCormick.
1.2.2.1. Human beings are not like “atoms” coming together voluntarily and make societies but there is something that binds them together – culture.
1.2.2.2. Our feelings, attachments and commitments to other people are part of what makes us human.
1.3. Objections were also raised against the Cultural Context Argument.
1.3.1. Conceptual objections by Lichtenberg, that “encompassing groups” were based on holistic conceptions which is inappropriate to pluralistic nations.
1.3.1.1 It is not easy to distinguish one culture from the other like U.S and Canada.
1.3.1.2 Cultures contain elements from other cultures, they are NEVER PURE CULTURES.
1.3.1.3. In every culture, there is several subcultures who have distinct characteristics which make it more complicated and understated.
1.3.2. Objection about Margalit and Raz’s logic about the link of culture and autonomy.
1.3.2.1. A particular culture put boundaries which lead to providing us fewer options for our choices.
1.3.2.2. National cultures provide us “coding bias”
1.3.2.2.1 People today define their goals with transnational, subnational context as well as national context.
1.3.2.2.2. If culture is a precondition of autonomy, then any culture one has shouldn’t matter.
1.3.3. Objection that relates to the issue of preservation of culture.
1.3.3.1. Since culture is valuable, as it contributes to the exercise of autonomy, Culture preservation should just extend to cultures that value autonomy.
1.3.3.2. Parekh stated that while valuing culture, we must be mindful of how it was exercised and the harm it could bring.
1.4. Therefore, we shouldn’t just focus on culture as such but focus on the origins and workings of norms, practices and institutions.
1.4.1 Buchanan: What is important is that individuals belong to a culture not to indefinitely, to any particular culture.
GLORIA, Mark Dominic G.
MANUEL, Regin B.
VIERNES, Kate Abigail V.
1. One of the four instrumental arguments in defense of nationalism is Cultural Context Argument.
ReplyDelete1.1 In cultural context argument, an individual has an autonomous capability to choose, depending on the options provided only by the cultural context, with regards to their goals in life.
1.2 There are claims that support the cultural context argument.
1.2.1 According to Margalit and Raz, nations are ‘encompassing groups’.
1.2.1.1 Individuals find themselves a culture that shapes their preferences, desires and opportunities and serves as a foundation for their self-identification, self-determination and an assurance that secures their sense of belonging.
1.2.1.2 The existence of a number of encompassing groups with cultures has consequences.
1.2.1.2.1 One’s membership to a particular culture is of a huge significance to individual well being, thus affecting one’s opportunities and chances to engage in the relationships, goals, and pursuits established by the culture.
1.2.1.2.2 The prosperity of the culture is important to the well-being of the members.
1.2.1.2.3 If self-respect is affected by the esteem in which groups are determined, then the groups, wherein one’s membership and sense of identity is at, should be generally respected.
1.2.2 For MacCormick, human beings are not extra-social atoms coming together voluntarily or otherwise to form societies.
1.2.2.1 Human individuals are necessarily ‘contextual individuals’.
1.2.2.2 One’s membership is given to a certain culture because of a common sense of belonging.
1.2.2.3 Attachment and commitments to other people are just proofs that human beings are social animals.
1.3 There are several objections with regards to cultural context argument.
1.3.1 The first objection is conceptual.
1.3.1.1 As Lichtenberg points out, the notion that ‘nations are cultures’ is problematic for three reasons.
1.3.1.1.1 It is not always easy to distinguish one culture from another.
1.3.1.1.2 Cultures are never pure; they contain elements of other cultures.
1.3.1.1.3 Within each culture, we find a multiplicity of subcultures whose members have a distinct sense of identity and belonging.
1.3.2 The second objection concerns the link between culture and autonomy.
1.3.2.1 Being exposed to more than one culture will provide us with broader options.
1.3.2.1.1 A particular culture provides its members with options but often offers only few and limited alternatives than any other cultures can provide.
1.3.2.1.2 If a culture is a precondition of autonomy, then it should not matter which culture an individual has.
1.3.2.1.3 At the present moment, meaningful options come to form a variety of cultural sources.
1.3.3 The third option relates to the issue of preservation of cultures.
1.3.3.1 Cultures do not always value autonomy.
1.3.3.2 Every culture is a system of regulation.
1.3.3.3 Parekh reminds us that culture not only facilitates choices, but it is also a discipline.
1.3.3.3.1 Functions of cultures such as creating the conditions of choice but also demands conformity are two inseparable and dialectically related tasks.
1.3.3.4 People should focus less on the value of culture.
1.3.3.4.1 People should not treat the right to cultural preservation as the right to cultural statis.
1.3.3.4.1.1 The right to cultural stasis pertains to the right to preserve the culture as it is at present.
1.4 Cultural context argument focuses more on the need to obtain membership on a certain culture rather than the mere essence of the attainment of human individuals of a sense of belonging and attachment to that particular culture.
ADAYA, Ma. Chona
ATIENZA, Catherine
MARASIGAN, Medelyn Clarisse
(Due to technical difficulties, Ms. Marasigan sent it to me via facebook, Sir. To catch up with the said deadline which is 8pm)