Is Nationalism Democratic or Authoritarian?

This panel invites papers that address the complex relationships between nationalism, democracy, and authoritarianism. Nationalism arguably remains the world’s preeminent source of political legitimacy. As such, it is employed by both democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. At the core of nationalism is a belief that communities called ‘nations’ have an inherent right to political autonomy. On the one hand, this belief helps to legitimise democratic states because it provides them with a rationale for why their communities should be able to choose their own rulers (because they are a ‘nation’). On the other hand, nationalism also legitimises authoritarian regimes by providing them with a rationale for denying democracy (because the ‘nation’ is already represented by the regime).

It is in the light of this decidedly ambivalent record, that this panel seeks to examine the relationships between nationalism, democracy, authoritarianism. The papers can be theoretical or empirical, and they can focus on any region of the world. Of particular interest are papers that focus on processes and mechanisms. Potential questions include (but are not limited to): how, why, and when is nationalism associated with either democracy or authoritarianism; are certain types of nationalism more congruent with democracy, and are other types more congruent with authoritarianism; can nationalism become either more democratic or authoritarian over time; can nationalism be simultaneously both democratic and authoritarian?