Why liberal societies need moderate nationalism
The word “tribe” used to belong to humanity’s distant past, conjuring images of primitive men carrying spears or perhaps of the unchanged communities in the Amazon rainforest.
But now the language of tribes and tribalism is everywhere you look. And it’s a good thing, too. The return of the discussion of tribes is a metaphorical recognition of the shallowness of much of modern liberalism, with its awkwardness about the human need for recognition, belonging and group attachment, along with its implicit claim that society is just a random collection of individuals.
It is also a recognition of the weakening of the bigger, collective identities of nation, class and religion in recent decades and the rising importance of sub-groups, often value tribes of various kinds.… Seguir leyendo »