Civil nationalism

the only buffer against fascism and fundamentalism

Chen Yehezkely

pp. 319-332

in: Nimrod Bar Am, Stefano Gattei (eds), Encouraging openness, Berlin, Springer, 2017

Abstract

Two questions form the backbone of all political thought and practice in history: that of the source of the legitimacy of the state, and that of political collective identity. The answers to the former are, to date, fascism and/or fundamentalism, on the one hand; and democracy, on the other. The answers to the latter are ethnic nationalism and civil nationalism. Civil nationalism is intrinsic to democracy. This explains why the rejection of civil nationalism necessarily leads to fascism and/or fundamentalism, all good intentions notwithstanding. Israel, sadly, is a case in point.