Wartime Patriotism

Abstract

How does war affect the ties that bind together the members of a nation? This essay examines the connections among compatriots and the effects that war has on nationality and patriotism. It considers the ways in which the expectations that society has of its members, mediated through institutions as well as shared across horizontal civic connections, change and intensify as a result of the pressure that war generates. Common conceptions of citizenship, particularly liberal and republican ones, are considered in light of the demands that war creates within a nation, and some of their limitations in explaining the relations among citizens as well as the civic relations to the nation are examines in the unique context of war. This essay focuses on shared fate citizenship, which emphasizes ties among citizens, as a productive lens to add to the common focus on identity-based conceptions in the analysis of patriotism during war.