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Civic nationalism, otherwise known as democratic nationalism, is a form of nationalism that adheres to traditional liberal values of freedom, Toleration, Egalitarianism, and individual rights, and is not based on ethnocentrism.Tamir, Yael. 1993. Liberal Nationalism. Princeton University Press. ; Will Kymlicka. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford University Press. ; David Miller. 1995. On Nationality. Oxford University Press. . Civic nationalists often defend the value of national identity by saying that individuals need it as a partial shared aspect of their identity (an upper identity) in order to lead meaningful, autonomous livesKymlicka, Will. 1995. Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford University Press. . For criticism, see: Patten, Alan. 1999. "The Autonomy Argument for Liberal Nationalism." Nations and Nationalism. 5(1): 1-17. and that Democracy Polity need a national identity to function properly.Miller, David. 1995. On Nationality. Oxford University Press. . For criticism, see: Arash Abizadeh. 2002. "Does Liberal Democracy Presuppose a Cultural Nation? Four Arguments." American Political Science Review 96 (3): 495-509; Abizadeh, Arash. 2004. " Liberal Nationalist versus Postnational Social Integration." Nations and Nationalism 10(3): 231-250. Liberal nationalism is used in the same sense as 'civic nationalism', but liberal ethnic nationalism also exists, and "state nationalism" is a branch of civic nationalism, but it can also be illiberal.
Civic nationhood is a political identity built around shared citizenship within the state. Thus, a "civic nation" defines itself not by culture but by political institutions and liberal principles, which its citizens pledge to uphold. Membership in the civic nation is open to every person by citizenship, regardless of culture or ethnicity. Those who share these values are considered members of the nation and, in theory, a civic nation or state does not aim to promote one culture over another. German philosopher Jürgen Habermas has argued that immigrants to a liberal-democratic state need not assimilate into the host culture but only accept the principles of the country's constitution (constitutional patriotism).
Civic nationalism is frequently contrasted with ethnic nationalism. According to Donald Ipperciel, civic nationalism historically was a determining factor in the development of modern Constitution and Democracy forms of government, whereas ethnic nationalism has been more associated with Authoritarianism and even dictatorship. Indeed, the 20th-century revival of civic nationalism played a key role in the ideological war against racism. However, as Umut Özkırımlı states, "civic" nations can be as intolerant and cruel as the so-called "ethnic" nations, citing Jacobins techniques of persecution that were utilized by 20th-century fascists. Some argue civic nationalism inevitably involves an underlying ethnic concept of national belonging because abstract values cannot be related to a specific place. p.31
The Corsican nationalist movement organized around the FLNC is giving a civic definition of the Corsican nation ("destiny community") in the continuity of Pasquale Paoli and the ideas of the Lumières.
The Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru, which advocate independence of their respective nations from the United Kingdom, proclaim themselves to be civic nationalist parties, in which they advocate the independence and popular sovereignty of the people living in their nation's society, not individual ethnic groups.
The Republican Left of Catalonia supports a civic Catalan independentism and defends a Catalan Republic based on republicanism and civic values within a diverse society.
The Union of Cypriots define its ideology as Cypriot nationalism, a civic nationalism that focuses on the shared identity of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. It highlights both communities' common culture, heritage and traditions as well as economic, political, and social rights. It also supports the reunification of Cyprus and the end of foreign interference by Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
Outside Europe, it has also been used to describe the Republican Party in the United States during the Civil War Era.
Civic nationalism shares elements of the Switzerland concept of , which is German for "nation by will", coined by Carl Hilty, understood as shared experience and dedication by citizens.
The distinction between ethnic and civic nationalism has also been criticized by scholars like Bernard Yack and Umut Özkırımlı.Özkırımlı, Umut. (2005). Contemporary Debates on Nationalism: A Critical Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Yack rejects Renan's notion of "voluntary" civic nationality as an illusion, arguing this "misrepresents political reality as surely as the ethnonationalist myths it is designed to combat", going on to state how cultural memories form an inseparable part of every national political identity.
Quoting Rogers Brubaker, Özkırımlı argues:
Following Brubaker, John Etherington demonstrates how civic nationalism inevitably involves an underlying ethnic concept of national belonging. Because supposed civic values are abstract, universal and thus open to all, "they cannot be related to a specific place – the national homeland. Thus, any civic conception of the nation is dependent on a prior ethnic conception because of the need to establish who belongs to the nation and its homeland and who does not". p.31
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