Applying the Nationality Principle: Handle with Care
Publisher: Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe Volume: 18 pages, pdf Description: Strange as it may seem in an era of globalization, the nation still matters. People feel an affinity or bond with others who speak the same language, share a sense of common history, and have a shared sense of place. One cannot ignore the pulling power of the nation as a focal point and touchstone of identity. But one can also go too far in accommodating national identity, to the point where it erodes societal cohesion and the international system. This article looks at the challenges of integrating diversity within multi-ethnic states and coping with nations within the inter-state system. It suggests that Kymlicka’s group-based approach – while philosophically cogent – can have complicated practical effects that could hinder relations within and between states (West and East).