The Lefts and Nationalisms

The aim of this workshop is to provide new perspectives on the relation between the Left(s) and nationalism(s). We understand both concepts as being plural and consider this diversity as an object of enquiry. The workshop will thus look with a non-normative eye at the tension between the universality shared (or claimed) by different left-wing traditions, intellectuals and parties, and the particularism inherent in nationalism as a doctrine and a principle of political legitimacy. The workshop will also simultaneously analyse the cultural, economic, social and political aspects of this tension (and their inter-relation). Whereas nationalism, and its product, the modern nation, could be said to be born on the Left at the end of the 18th century, the Left later came to be semantically associated with internationalism. Simultaneously, the Right, or even the extreme-right, acquired a near monopoly over nationalism. As a consequence, contemporary dominant left-wing ideologies have tended to neglect the national issue. The literature on nationalism(s) and the Left(s) is rich, but with problematic blind spots. Six major limitations can be singled out. First, it tends to conceive of the Left in a monolithic way and to focus on disputes of Marxist doctrine over the practice of specific parties and movements. Additionally, it tends to neglect the non-Marxist Left (Republicans, Greens…). Second, it too often lacks a comparative dimension considering several cases from different countries and geographical areas. Third, it focuses often too much on ideologies, with a top-down perspective, and not enough on how on the field activists and citizens deal with such topics. The literature is too much dominated by political theory and political history, and not enough by political sociology. Fourth, case studies have mostly focused on either cultural (relating to the management of cultural difference) or socio-economic (regarding the welfare state) issues, rather than to offer an integrative approach taking both dimensions into consideration. Fifth, with regard to Western Europe, there seems to be a need to study how social democracy has handled problems relating to nationalism, as well as used national identity to obtain popular support. Sixth, too many (left-wing) scholars have externalized nationalism as ‘the ideology of someone else’ forgetting in the process their own banal nationalism, their own ideology of the nation. The conveners notably encourage the participants to look at the three following broad axes of research (and how they engage with each other): - The cultural and the socio-economic dimensions of left-wing ideology and policy (as mentioned above, the former centres primarily around the management of diversity, while the latter around the welfare state). - Whether the most relevant national cleavage is internal to the state (as in the case of minorities) or external (as in the case of foreign migrants). - When, where, why, for what and with whom do left wing organisations, movements and individuals frame their reflection with a national(ist) perspective? We invite researchers interested in applying to contact the directors of the workshop (at tudi.kernalegenn@uclouvain.be or emmanuel.dallemulle@graduateinstitute.ch) beforehand to discuss their submission