Chapter 5: The National and the Global

The Debate Over Nationalism

In the preceding chapters it was shown that the traditional ideologies of modernity are in crisis and that their ability to mobilise citizens of liberal-democratic societies has waned. It was argued that a dominant neo-liberalism, while not exempt from various forms of resistance (to be explored further below), has captured those ideologies and movements hitherto critical of the status quo. The ideological map of contemporary liberal democracy shows convergence on a centre ground, marked by acceptance of the predominant role of the market, with the central role of government seen as adaptation to the demands of a globalised economic system.

If this picture of the contemporary ideological world is accurate, it raises some important ...