A growing number of scholars from two seemingly anti-nationalist cohorts, namely liberal political theory and multiculturalism, have come to argue that nationalism is not intrinsically illiberal or undesirable, but some forms of it (e.g. liberal, multicultural, pluralist) can be a positive force to meet the demands for nation-building, national identity and national culture, on the one hand, and demands for recognition, respect, and accommodation of diversity, on the other. This paper critically examines recent scholarly literature on liberal nationalism and multicultural nationalism. It argues that both projects have developed necessary responses to (1) growing diversity and (2) ethnonational and populist-majoritarian forms of nationalism, hence, are welcome. However, two substantial shortcomings need to be addressed. The first is the nation-building-education nexus and the limits of multicultural education (e.g. the teaching of history), and the second is nationalism-transnationalism nexus or the normative desirability of dual nationalities. On the whole, a morally acceptable and valuable form of nationalism operating within multinational and multicultural liberal democracies is theoretically possible. Yet, it needs to address the two mentioned issues, among others. 

Dr Erdem Dikici obtained his PhD from SPAIS, University of Bristol, in 2016. Since then, he has been a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, the University of Bristol. In his PhD dissertation, Erdem investigated the role of transnational Islam in the debates on, and processes of, Turkish integration in Britain, which is now coming out as part of the Palgrave Politics of Identity and Citizenship Series. His research interests include multiculturalism, nationalism, transnationalism, transnational Islam, and diaspora. Erdem’s most recent publications include ‘Governance of religious diversity in Western Europe’ published in Ethnicities (2021); and ‘Integration, transnationalism and transnational Islam’ published in Identities (2021). His works have been published in different journals including, Ethnicities, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Insight Turkey, Journal of Nordic Migration Studies, and Journal of Global Analysis. 

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