Abstract
According to the national identity argument, the sharing of a national identity tends to facilitate social cohesion, including trust and solidarity. On this basis, nationalists have, for example, argued that states’ immigration and integration policies need to reflect a concern with their national identities and the forms of homogeneity on which they depend. First, the national identity argument is outlined in greater detail as is the concept of social cohesion. Second, different possible explanations of why shared identities might impact social cohesion are described. Third, the national identity argument is explained in terms of the commitments of nationalism, from which it derives. Fourth, this paves the way for a survey of the empirical evidence that may support or undermine the national identity argument. It is argued that this argument does not find support in the available empirical studies. Finally, it is briefly considered whether there are other identities, apart from national identities, that may contribute to social cohesion at the societal level. In particular, liberal and multicultural values are considered.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alesina A, La Ferrara E (2002) Who trusts others? J Public Econ 85(2):207–234
Anderson CJ, Paskeviciute A (2006) How ethnic and linguistic heterogeneity influence the prospect for civil society: a comparative study of citizenship behaviour. J Polit 68:783–802
Balliet D, Wu J, de Dreu CKW (2014) Ingroup favoritism in cooperation: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 140(6):1556–1581
Berg L, Hjerm M (2010) National identity and political trust. Perspect Eur Polit Soc 11(4):390–407
Breidahl KN, Holtug N, Kongshøj K (2018) Do shared values promote social cohesion? If so, which? Evidence from Denmark. Eur Polit Sci Rev 10(1):97–118
Gellner E (1983) Nations and nationalism. Cornell University Press, Ithaca
Goodhart D (2004, February) Too diverse? Prospect Magazine
Hall PA (2017) The political sources of social solidarity. In: Banting K, Kymlicka W (eds) The strains of commitment. The political sources of solidarity in diverse societies. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Halpern D (2005) Social capital. Polity Press, Cambridge
Harutyunyan A (2016) National identity and public goods provision. Paper presented at the 4th Euroacademia International Conference, Venice, March 2016.
Hjerm M, Schnabel A (2012) How much heterogeneity can the welfare state endure? The influence of heterogeneity on attitudes to the welfare state. Nations Nationalism 18(2):346–369
Holtug N (2010) Immigration and the politics of social cohesion. Ethnicities 10(4):435–451
Holtug N (2017) Identity, causality and social cohesion. J Ethn Migr Stud 43(7):1084–1100
Holtug N (forthcoming-a) Does nationhood promote egalitarian justice? Challenging the national identity argument. Forthcoming in Miller D, Gustavsson G (eds) Liberal nationalism and its critics. Normative and empirical questions. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Holtug N (2020) The politics of social cohesion. Immigration, community and justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Honohan I (2010) Republican requirements for access to citizenship. In: Calder G, Cole P, Seglow J (eds) Citizenship acquisition and national belonging. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke
Hooghe M (2007) Social capital and diversity. Generalized trust, social cohesion and regimes of diversity. Can J Polit Sci 40(3):709–732
Johnston R, Banting K, Kymlicka W, Soroka S (2010) National identity and support for the welfare state. Can J Polit Sci 43(2):349–377
Johnston R, Wright M, Soroka S, Citrin J (2017) Diversity and solidarity: new evidence from Canada and the US. In: Banting K, Kymlicka W (eds) The strains of commitment. The political sources of solidarity in diverse societies. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Kymlicka W (1995) Multicultural citizenship. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Kymlicka W (2001) Politics in the vernacular. Nationalism, multiculturalism, and citizenship. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Kymlicka W (2015) Solidarity in diverse societies: beyond neoliberal multiculturalism and welfare chauvinism. Comp Migr Stud 3(4):15–33
Larsen CA (2006) The institutional logic of welfare attitudes. How welfare regimes influence public support. Ashgate, Aldershot
McLaren L (2015) Immigration and perceptions of national political systems in Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Miller D (1995) On nationality. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Miller D (2004) Social justice in multicultural societies. In: van Parijs P (ed) Cultural diversity versus economic solidarity. De Boeck University Press, Brussels
Miller D (2013) Are they my poor? The problem of altruism in a world of strangers. In: Justice for earthlings. Essays in political philosophy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Miller D (2017) Solidarity and its sources. In: Banting K, Kymlicka W (eds) The strains of commitment. The political sources of solidarity in diverse societies. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Miller D, Ali S (2014) Testing the national identity argument. Eur Polit Sci Rev 6(2):237–259
Moore M (2001) Normative justifications for liberal nationalism: justice, democracy and national identity. Nations Nationalism 7(1):1–20
Putnam RD (2000) Bowling alone. The collapse and revival of American community. Simon and Schuster, New York
Putnam RD (2007) E Pluribus Unum: diversity and community in the twenty-first century. Scand Polit Stud 30(2):137–174
Rawls J (1971) A theory of justice. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Reeskens T, Wright M (2013) Nationalism and the cohesive society: a multilevel analysis of the interplay among diversity, national identity, and social capital across 27 European societies. Comp Polit Stud 46(2):153
Rothstein B (2017) Solidarity, diversity, and the quality of government. In: Banting K, Kymlicka W (eds) The strains of commitment. The political sources of solidarity in diverse societies. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Rothstein B, Stolle D (2003) Social capital, impartiality and the welfare state: an institutional approach. In: Hooghe M, Stolle D (eds) Generating social capital. Civil society and institutions in comparative perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Scruton R (1990) In defence of the nation. In: The philosopher on Dover Beach. Carcanet, Manchester
Shayo M (2009) A model of social identity with an application to political economy: nation, class, and redistribution. Am Polit Sci Rev 103:147–174
Simonsen KB (2016) How the host nation’s boundary drawing affects immigrants’ belonging. J Ethn Migr Stud 42(7):1153–1176
Stubager R, Hansen KM, Callesen K, Leed A, Enevoldsen C (2016) Danske vælgere 1971–2015. Det danske valgprojekt, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University.
Tamir Y (1993) Liberal nationalism. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Theiss-Morse E (2009) Who counts as an American? Cambridge University Press, New York
Uslaner E (2002) The moral foundations of trust. Cambridge University Press, New York
Uslaner E (2003) Trust, democracy and governance: can government policies influence generalized trust? In: Hooghe M, Stolle D (eds) Generating social capital. Civil society and institutions in comparative perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, New York
van der Meer T, Tolsma J (2014) Ethnic diversity and its effects on social cohesion. Annu Rev Sociol 40:459–478
Vaughan GM, Tajfel H, Williams J (1981) Bias in award allocation in an intergroup and an interpersonal context. Soc Psychol Q 44(1):37–42
Voci A (2006) The link between identification and in-group favouritism: effects of threat to social identity and trust-related emotions. Br J Soc Psychol 45:265–284
Weldon SA (2006) The institutional context of tolerance for ethnic minorities: a comparative, multilevel analysis of Western Europe. Am J Polit Sci 50(2):331–349
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Holtug, N. (2018). National Identity, Shared Values, and Social Cohesion. In: Sardoc, M. (eds) Handbook of Patriotism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30534-9_52-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30534-9_52-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30534-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30534-9
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities