TY - JOUR
T1 - Nationalism in a Liberal Register: Beyond the 'Paradox of Universalism' in Immigrant Integration Politics
AU - Jensen, Kristian Kriegbaum
AU - Mouritsen, Per
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - In recent years scholars have observed a restrictive turn in West European immigrant integration policies towards conditioning access to permanent residence and citizenship on language proficiency, knowledge of history, institutions, culture and political values, national loyalty and labour market integration. This has been accompanied by a strong reaction among European politicians and publics emphasizing that newcomers must share in certain liberal-democratic values and virtues that characterize the national community. Yet, the influential scholar Christian Joppke argues, among others, that liberal values cannot define national particularity, nor can cultural integration be enforced because legislation and policies are legally and normatively constrained by the same liberal values. Hence, prevalent liberal conceptions of national identity are paradoxical and inconsequential for the formulation of public policies. This article critically examines this argument in detail. It argues that the paradox of universalism does not exist, and that therefore nationalism should not be dismissed as a central factor behind recent policy developments.
AB - In recent years scholars have observed a restrictive turn in West European immigrant integration policies towards conditioning access to permanent residence and citizenship on language proficiency, knowledge of history, institutions, culture and political values, national loyalty and labour market integration. This has been accompanied by a strong reaction among European politicians and publics emphasizing that newcomers must share in certain liberal-democratic values and virtues that characterize the national community. Yet, the influential scholar Christian Joppke argues, among others, that liberal values cannot define national particularity, nor can cultural integration be enforced because legislation and policies are legally and normatively constrained by the same liberal values. Hence, prevalent liberal conceptions of national identity are paradoxical and inconsequential for the formulation of public policies. This article critically examines this argument in detail. It argues that the paradox of universalism does not exist, and that therefore nationalism should not be dismissed as a central factor behind recent policy developments.
KW - nationalism
KW - national identity
KW - liberalism
KW - immigrant integration
KW - liberal convergence
KW - Christian Joppke
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021821847&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0007123416000806
DO - 10.1017/S0007123416000806
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0007-1234
VL - 49
SP - 837
EP - 856
JO - British Journal of Political Science
JF - British Journal of Political Science
IS - 3
ER -