Constitutional patriotism
Topic: Nationalism and National Self-determination · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Constitutional patriotism is the idea that citizens should be loyal to the rules and values of a liberal-democratic constitution, not to an ethnic group or culture. Dolf Sternberger named it in 1979, and Jürgen Habermas developed it. Loyalty attaches to rights, democracy and the rule of law, so people of any background can share it. It is close to B.R. Ambedkar's idea of "constitutional morality", meaning respect for the Constitution's values and processes. Critique: it may be too thin, or too weak an emotion, to make people willing to make sacrifices for the nation.
Example
India's Fundamental Duties in Art. 51A ask citizens to uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India (clause c), promote harmony and common brotherhood (clause e) and value the composite culture (clause f). These are duties based on the Constitution, not on religion or language.
Don't confuse with
- Civic nationalism: civic nationalism is the broad idea of a nation built on citizenship and shared values. Constitutional patriotism is a stricter version that ties loyalty to the constitution itself.