Liberal Nationalism, Imagined Immigration and the Progressive Dilemma

The article critically evaluates liberal nationalist perspectives on immigration by drawing on findings from a qualitative research project undertaken in 2014 among White British interviewees in England. From one perspective the study's participants' attitudes seem to support arguments mad...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Political quarterly (London. 1930) 2014-07, Vol.85 (3), p.340-347
Main Author: LEDDY-OWEN, CHARLES
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attitude surveys
Attitudes
attitudes to immigration
Dilemmas
England
Great Britain
Immigrants
Immigration
Immigration policy
liberal nationalism
Nationalism
Politics
Progressivism
Qualitative analysis
Qualitative Methods
qualitative research
Social capital
social trust
Trust
United Kingdom
Whites
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The article critically evaluates liberal nationalist perspectives on immigration by drawing on findings from a qualitative research project undertaken in 2014 among White British interviewees in England. From one perspective the study's participants' attitudes seem to support arguments made by David Goodhart and other liberal nationalists regarding immigration, social trust and integration. However, further analysis suggests that these attitudes are to a very significant extent drawn first from partially imagined ideas surrounding immigration and second from potentially unreliable sources. These findings thus provoke the question of whether social trust and notions of a national community are actually being disrupted by immigration, or whether they are being disrupted by prejudiced nationalist and xenophobic perceptions about immigration and immigrants. The article will conclude by arguing for more nuanced research into attitudes towards immigration and in favour of a sceptical approach to nationalist frameworks for interpreting society and politics in Britain today.
ISSN:0032-3179
1467-923X
DOI:10.1111/1467-923X.12093