Nationalism, Ethnicity, Citizenship: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship lie at the heart of many of the societal changes that are currently transforming countries across the world. Global migration has undermined old certainties provided by the established framework of nation-states, with inward migration, cultural diversity and transnational affiliations having become established facts of life in many countries. These phenomena raise significant challenges for traditional conceptions of citizenship. This book provides a detailed examination, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, of contemporary issues relating to nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship. The book aims to take stock of current understandings in this area, and to establish whether there are connections between the understandings that are being articulated within different social science disciplines. The contributors, who are all senior international figures in their respective fields, are drawn from a range of disciplines, including Politics, Sociology, Communication/Media, Geography, Psychology and Education. Collectively, they address the following specific questions: o To what extent do multiculturalism and transnationalism undermine nationalism or, on the contrary, provoke its reassertion? o How do the multiple identities and multiple levels of belonging experienced today interact with traditional nationalist ideology? o Within multicultural societies, how far do representations of 'cultural others' still play a role in nationalist constructions of 'the nation'? o How successfully have the welfare systems of nation-states responded to the influx of migrants? o How have national politicians responded to the cultural diversity of their own countries and have they moved beyond the traditional logic of nationalism within their thinking? o Why are extreme right-wing parties gaining increased levels of support? o What social and psychological resources do citizens require in order to function effectively at the political level within multicultural democratic societies? o How can the educational systems of states, which have traditionally been used for nationalist purposes, be harnessed to enhance the competences needed by their citizens for successful living in multicultural societies? o What changes need to be made to educational policies in order to ensure the effective integration of minority citizens? Despite the fact that they have been written from different disciplinary perspectives, the various chapters in this book paint a consistent picture. They offer a view of a world in which nationalism is still very much a dominant ideology which configures the discourse and thinking of citizens and politicians alike about nation-states, ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and citizenship. The crucial role of education is also highlighted, with school systems being uniquely positioned to equip citizens with the psychological resources and intercultural competences that are needed to function effectively within multicultural societies.
About the Author: Martyn Barrett is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey, UK. He obtained his degrees from the Universities of Cambridge and Sussex. He works on national and ethnic enculturation, prejudice and stereotyping, identities and practices of ethnic minority and mixed-heritage individuals, intercultural competence, and political cognition, attitudes and active citizenship. He is currently leading an FP7 project funded by the European Commission on Processes Influencing Democratic Ownership and Participation (PIDOP), which is running from 2009-2012, and is working as an expert advisor to the Council of Europe. He is an Academic Director of the multidisciplinary Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM) at the University of Surrey, and an Academician of the Social Sciences. Chris Flood is Professor of European Studies in the Department of Politics at the University of Surrey, UK, where he is also an Academic Director of the Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM). He has published extensively on ideological discourses, theory of political myth, defensive nationalism, and the politics of intellectuals in Britain and France. With Stephen Hutchings, Galina Miazhevich and Henri Nickels, he is currently writing a monograph entitled Islam, Security and Television News (forthcoming, Palgrave) and co-editing two related collections. John Eade is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology as well as the Executive Director of the Centre for Research on Nationalism, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism (CRONEM) which links Roehampton University and the University of Surrey, UK. After research in Kolkata (Calcutta) on the social identity of the educated Bengali Muslim middle class, he completed his PhD in 1986 on Bangladeshi community politics in Tower Hamlets. Since then he has researched the Islamisation of urban space, globalisation and the global city, travel and pilgrimage, forced marriage, black Methodists in London, and Bangladeshi identity politics. His books include The Politics of Community: The Bangladeshi Community in East London (1989), Placing London: From Imperial Capital to Global City (2000), and Accession and Migration: Changing Policy, Society, and Culture in an Enlarged Europe (2009).