Constructing the 'Self' of Self-Determination: Liberal and Anti-Liberal Tensions in Modern Irish Nationalism

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Issue Date
1999-04-01Author
Swart, William J.
Publisher
Department of Sociology, University of Kansas
Type
Article
Rights
Copyright (c) Social Thought and Research. For rights questions please contact Editor, Department of Sociology, Social Thought and Research, Fraser Hall, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045.
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This paper explores the relationship of modern nationalism to the philosophical dictates of eighteenth century liberalism. It argues that although the ethos of modern nationalism developed out of the liberal ideal of popular sovereignty, the process of constructing a national "self" as the legitimate benefactor of that sovereignty often embraces very anti-liberal ideas. This paper explores this tension through a case study modern Irish nationalism. Although born out of the dictates of British liberalism, Irish nationalism also drew upon the anti-liberal objectives of European Romanticism and Socialism in order to create a unique national "self." By combining these liberal and anti-liberal ideals, Irish nationalist leaders articulated a political culture which claimed the right of self-determination for a community symbolically separated from the British Empire.
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Citation
Social Thought and Research, Volume 22, Number 1&2 (1999), pp. 139-166 http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.5159
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