What does self-determination mean today? The resurgence of nationalism and European integration in question

Abstract

The paradox of nationalism today in Europe is that while there is ever more demand and opportunities for nationalism it has become more divisive than ever before. Nationalism now divides the nation rather than uniting it. For this reason, its capacity to offer an alternative to the status quo is severely limited. In the past collective self-determination was predicated on the presumption of a defined people who were resisting external domination and sought to bring about a new polity. The world today, especially in Europe, has made this more difficult, if not impossible. There is now an entirely new context for nationalism and the appeal to self-determination in the name of ‘the people’ is no longer able to achieve the same results. The politics of self-determination, as reflected in separatist movements, runs up against the problems of democracy and cultural pluralism, which tend to frustrate the capacity of nationalism to achieve its aims. The argument given in this paper is that the rise of nationalism is de-stabilising for Europeanisation but does not endanger it.