Nationalism and Democracy

This chapter clarifies the possibility of sustaining a shared vision of, and allegiance to, the people is critical for the stability and long-term prospects of liberal democracy. It discusses what form of popular allegiance supports democratic freedom, and how it can be achieved. It also explores Alexis de Tocqueville’s understanding of the people as a concept and its relation to nationhood, clarifying his comparative view of premodern and modern forms of nationhood and his contribution to the vast literature on modern nationalism. The chapter examines the affective foundation of democratic allegiance through the distinction Tocqueville draws between different forms of public spirit. It considers the paradoxes of democratic national identity in order to analyze how these played out in one of the most heated moments in Tocqueville’s political career.