Herder on Nationality, Humanity, and History

Download or read book Herder on Nationality, Humanity, and History written by Frederick M. Barnard and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2003-04-25 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: F.M. Barnard demonstrates that Herder, despite his innovative work on the idea of nationality, was fully aware not only of the dangers of ethnic fanaticism but also of the hazards of what is now know as globalization, recognizing that these must be tempered by a sense of universal humanity. Barnard shows that Herder anticipated modern theories of the dynamics of cultures and traditions through the problematic interplay of persistence and change and that his speculations on cultural and political pluralism, on language as a democratic bond, and on the possible fusion of communitarian and liberal dimensions of public life remain relevant to contemporary debates.