Liberal Nationalism

Tamir, who teaches philosophy at Tel-Aviv University, offers an intriguing argument for the compatibility of the personal autonomy of liberalism with the loyalty and solidarity of nationalism. Her exposition is mainly theoretical, critiquing major thinkers like John Rawls and Isaiah Berlin, with occasional contemporary examples, especially on the issue of cultural belonging in Israel. Though she recognizes the potential excesses of nationalism, Tamir argues cogently that such communal feelings are necessary to support the modern liberal welfare state. Because each group cannot have its own state in this ethnically and nationally heterogenous world, Tamir suggests that smaller jurisdictions could allow minorities like Basques and Catalans limited autonomy, while they remain linked by broader political alliances like the European Community. But the EC is hardly thriving, and Tamir acknowledges that she has no solution for the tensions caused by imbalances between member nations. (June)