Majoritarian nationalism is bad nationalism

Dubai - A state practising majoritarian nationalism ends up alienating several sections of the population.

By Inder Singh

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Published: Thu 2 Jan 2020, 9:05 PM

Last updated: Thu 2 Jan 2020, 11:06 PM

Internationally, the "majoritarian" nationalism of the nation-state is widely perceived as "bad nationalism" for two reasons. First, majoritarian nationalism asserts the superiority of the majority community and its dominance over minorities.
A state practising majoritarian nationalism ends up alienating several sections of the population and fomenting strife because it fails to uphold individual rights, the legal equality between all citizens and the intellectual and political choices that are innate in the democratic civic nation.
Second, majoritarian nationalism ignores international experience which shows that the idea of the nation-state, literally implying the alignment of political, religious or linguistic borders, is unrealistic and unviable. Most states are multinational and multicultural. This is largely because the world comprises of more than 2000 "nations", which have been accommodated into its 193 states. Factors ranging from migration to power politics may explain why.

- Inder Singh, Dubai


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