[Anthropgrad] Work-in-Progress Seminar - May 1 - Andrew Vincent

[Sharon Komidar]

The Research School of Humanities presents,
 Work-in-Progress Seminar Series 

1- 2.30 pm, Friday 1st May, Theatrette, Old Canberra House

PATRIOTISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS: AN ARGUMENT FOR UNPATRIOTIC PATRIOTISM  

Professor Andrew Vincent 

Professor of Political Theory at Sheffield University and Director of
the Sheffield Centre for Political Theory and Ideologies

 

This paper centres on the question as to whether human rights can be
reconciled with patriotism. It lays out the more conventional arguments
which perceive them as incommensurable concepts. The implicit antagonism
between, on the one hand, the state, politics and patriotism, and, on
the other hand, human rights, is illustrated via the work of Carl
Schmitt. However in the last few decades particularly there has been a
resurgence of interest in patriotism and an attempt to formulate a more
moderated form, which tries to reconcile itself with universal ethical
themes. Some of these arguments are briefly summarised; the discussion
then focuses on Jürgen Habermas's understanding of constitutional
patriotism. This is seen to provide a moderately effective response to
Schmitt's arguments. However there are weaknesses in the constitutional
patriotic argument which relate to its limited understanding of both the
state and politics. This leads me to formulate my own argument on
unpatriotic patriotism. 

 

Andrew Vincent is Professor of Political Theory at Sheffield University
and Director of the Sheffield Centre for Political Theory and
Ideologies. He has taught at the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham
and Cardiff and was a visiting Professor of Political Theory in the
Chinese University of Hong Kong (2004-5). He is author of Philosophy
Politics and Citizenship (with R. Plant) (1984), Theories of the State
(1987), Modern Political Ideologies (1992 and 2nd edition 1995), A
Radical Hegelian: The Social and Political Philosophy of Henry Jones
(with David Boucher) (1993), British Idealism and Political Theory (with
David Boucher) (2001), Nationalism and Particularity (2002) and The
Nature of Political Theory (2004), a 3rd edition of Modern Political
Ideologies (2009). He is also co-editor of G.W.F. Hegel's, Philosophical
Propaeduetic (1986), editor of The Philosophy of T.H. Green (1986), and
Political Theory: Tradition and Diversity (1997). He is currently
working on human rights and cosmopolitanism.

 

Convenors: Ken Taylor and Stephen Foster

For general enquiries please contact: 
Phone: 6125 2434
Email: administration.rsh at anu.edu.au 
Web: http://rsh.anu.edu.au/
All Welcome