Cosmopolitan Patriotism

Abstract

This chapter investigates the idea of cosmopolitan patriotism. Since the original publication of the key reference work by Anthony K. Appiah, a fresh look at the cosmopolitanism and patriotism, if considered individually, may lead to a new, qualitatively different understanding of their respective role in the pair. A key assumption that needs to be reassessed, following Appiah, we argue, is the notion of the home, together with the idea of the "roots," and "cultural difference." Consequently, this analysis in the second part revisits both aspects: the "home" and "cultural difference" are critically approached from the perspective of patriotism and, by observing Appiah's own contribution to the field, postcolonial theory. In the third section, the findings are reexamined in light of contemporary development of transnationalism on the one hand, and xenophobic nationalism on the other, asking whether cosmopolitan patriotism still stands as a germane idea to challenge both.