Gina Gustavsson – författare

The thesis of liberal nationalism is that national identities can serve as a source of unity in culturally diverse liberal societies, thereby lending support to democracy and social justice. The chapters in this book examine that thesis from both normative and empirical perspectives, in the latter case using survey data or psychological experiments from the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and the UK. They explore how people understand what it means to belong to their nation, and show that different aspects of national attachment - national identity, national pride, and national chauvinism - have contrasting effects on support for redistribution and on attitudes towards immigrants. The psychological mechanisms that may explain why people's identity matters for their willingness to extend support to others are examined in depth. Equally important is how the potential recipients of such support are perceived. 'Ethnic' and 'civic' conceptions of national identity are often contrasted, but the empirical basis for such a distinction is shown to be weak. In their place, a cultural conception of national identity is explored, and defended against the charge that it is 'essentialist' and therefore exclusive of minorities. Particular attention is given to the role that religion can legitimately play within such identities. Finally the book examines the challenges involved in integrating immigrants, dual nationals, and other minorities into the national community. It shows that although these groups mostly share the liberal values of the majority, their full inclusion depends on whether they are seen as committed and trustworthy members of the national 'we'.

Hur hanterar västerländska, sekulariserade samhällen en alltmer komplex och mångsidig religion? I Reconsidering Religion, Law, and Democracy har författarna undersökt samspel och förhandlingar mellan å ena sidan religiösa organisationer och medborgare, å andra sidan staten, det juridiska systemet, media och sekulariserade medborgare. Religion påverkar fortfarande många delar av det moderna samhället men ses idag, oftare än tidigare, som en allmän angelägenhet snarare än en privat. I och med detta uppstår nya utmaningar eller möjligheter för både akademisk forskning och i samhället i stort. De medverkande i denna antologi visar vad som händer när olika religiösa uttryck möter olika områden i samhället. Författarna pekar särskilt på behovet av att utveckla en mer mångsidig förståelse av religionens roll i dagens samhälle. Genom att presentera fallstudier, nytänkande perspektiv och angelägna frågeställningar förespråkar de att en djupare kunskap kring religion bäst nås genom ytterligare och mer nyanserad tvärvetenskaplig forskning.