Nationalism and the moral psychology of community /

In this nuanced, sophisticated work, Yack (Brandeis Univ.) directs his attention to the theoretical study of nationalism. He argues that the continued prevalence of nationalist loyalties constitutes a practical challenge to the alleged contemporary ascendancy of liberal values over primordial notions of communal collective belonging. Why then, Yack asks, does nationalism continue to assert itself with such tenacity? In answering this thorny question, he asks readers to reenvision notions of the broader genus of nation, community, as a blend of both cultural heritage and subjective affirmation. Through this lens, the obliteration of communal loyalties at the expense of liberal individualism is neither possible nor advisable. Rather, the proper normative conception of the community is one in which communal loyalty and "social friendship" undergird adherence to abstract political principles of justice and rights. Furthermore, each exists to temper the pathologies of the other--as either, in its singularity, can be a dangerous tool for exclusion or even violence. This thoughtful work will greatly enrich readers' understanding of the political community, helping them grasp the ways in which even the most abstract universal political principles are historically and culturally rooted. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and research collections. R. W. Glover University of Maine