ABSTRACT
After sketching the history of the concept of civic nationalism and detailing the various points of critique it has recently been subjected to, the introduction explains why there is a continuing need for the concept as both an analytical tool and a normative ideal and argues that a global approach can answer many of the criticisms that have been leveled against it. In particular, a global perspective that incorporates the historical practices of multiethnic nations from all world regions can help us leave the ‘Western’-centrism of the concept behind, as the analysis of civic or quasi-civic nationalisms from across the globe reveals the broad variety of nationalisms of this type.
