Constitutional Patriotism offers a new theory of citizenship and civic allegiance for today’s culturally diverse liberal democracies. Rejecting conventional accounts of liberal nationalism and cosmopolitanism, Jan-Werner M眉ller argues for a form of political belonging centered on universalist norms, adapted for specific constitutional cultures. At the same time, he presents a novel approach to thinking about political belonging and the preconditions of democratic legitimacy beyond the nation-state. The book takes the development of the European Union as a case study, but its lessons apply also to the United States and other parts of the world.
M眉ller’s essay starts with an engaging historical account of the origins and spread of the concept of constitutional patriotism-the idea that political attachment ought to center on the norms and values of a liberal democratic constitution rather than a national culture or the 鈥済lobal human community.鈥� In a more analytical part, he then proposes a critical conception of citizenship that makes room for dissent and civil disobedience while taking seriously a polity’s need for stability over time. M眉ller’s theory of constitutional patriotism responds to the challenges of the de facto multiculturalism of today’s states—with a number of concrete policy implications about immigration and the preconditions for citizenship clearly spelled out. And it asks what civic empowerment could mean in a globalizing world.
"Is it possible to develop a 'patriotic' attachment to what is basically a set of intellectual positions? This is the question M眉ller attempts to answer in this short, bracing book. His analysis is centered on the Federal Republic of Germany, a government deliberately designed to eliminate the need to be 'German' in order to be a German citizen. . . . What can be learned from this experience can, M眉ller hopes, be brought to bear on similar problems facing the newborn EU. A clearly written, thoughtful, and enjoyable analysis."鈥擬. Berheide, Berea College, for, Choice
"In Constitutional Patriotism, Werner M眉ller, who teaches politics at 快色直播, has provided a thorough and engaging defense of the concept."鈥擬ichael Lind, American Prospect
"[T]his is an interesting and thoughtful book. There are many open ended arguments and some gaps (for me the ambiguity of theoretical republicanism loomed large), however, overall it is be welcomed as a valuable contribution to current political theory."鈥擜ndrew Vincent, Nations and Nationalism
"I do not know a more precise or more careful account of the political and intellectual-historical context in which the debate about constitutional patriotism unfolded initially. Above all Jan-Werner M眉ller offers a masterful interpretation of this important concept, which clarifies many misunderstandings."鈥擩眉rgen Habermas
"Jan-Werner M眉ller provides a wonderfully lucid (and for the American reader absolutely necessary) account of the German history of 'constitutional patriotism,' and then he develops and applies this important idea to the circumstances of the European Union. He asks us to imagine a mode of attachment to 'Europe' based not on blood or faith but on civic engagement, democratic decision making, and the appropriation and critique of a common (and sometimes not so common) history. This is exemplary political theory: an argument about things that matter here and now."鈥擬ichael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study
"How can 'political space' catch up with the ever-widening economic space in our era of accelerating globalization? Will Europe be able to show us the way to a political community that does not require antagonism towards the 'other' to foster cohesion and acquire legitimacy? Jan-Werner M眉ller's analysis and ideas are central to the great debates of our time."鈥擪emal Dervis, chair of the United Nations Development Group
"Given currency by J眉rgen Habermas in the late l980s, 'constitutional patriotism' has emerged as an appealing principle for post-national political allegiance. Jan-Werner M眉ller traces the long postwar history of the concept, takes honest account of the conservative critiques it has provoked, but proposes that it can serve as a robust norm for European Union citizenship. This is a profound meditation with real importance for contemporary political society."鈥擟harles S. Maier, Harvard University
"Constitutional Patriotism provides the most thorough and insightful discussion available on the subject of constitutional patriotism. One of its major achievements is to help us assess the strengths and weaknesses of different recent approaches to social cohesion."鈥擥lyn Morgan, Harvard University
"This book stands alone in clarifying the idea of constitutional patriotism analytically and historically while also linking it to debates about forms of solidarity in the European Union. What I especially like is the form of constitutional patriotism the book ends up endorsing for the EU鈥攁 'thin' form with an emphasis on political morality and a commitment to public argument rather than memory and militancy."鈥擩oshua Cohen, Stanford University
