Afterword

Critics may doubt that better stories of political peoplehood are politically necessary or politically feasible. But such stories are inescapably needed to define people’s interests and guide collective action. Demographic and cultural transformations are also making it possible to combat narrow nationalist narratives with more inclusive stories, as recent election results in Peru, Turkey, and Hungary show.

What Makes a Good Story of Peoplehood?

The “Three R’s” of good stories of peoplehood are resonance, respect, and reticulation. Political stories must take people where they are, drawing on existing senses of identity and values and speaking to felt needs and grievances. But they must also incorporate respect for all persons, and a spirit of accommodation expressed in support for pluralism and policies that accord people different, reticulated treatment according to their different circumstances and aspirations. Though respect and a spirit of accommodation are hard to achieve, every modern nation includes resonant traditions embodying those values. Examples discussed include Denmark, India, and Israel.

Who Are We Americans Now?

Donald Trump’s “America First” vision calls for total loyalty to the United States. It resonates with millions, but it does not convey respect or a spirit of accommodation toward many of the diverse communities that constitute America. Its intolerance must be combated by better, inclusive stories. Candidates include John Dewey’s view of America as a democratic project; Barack Obama’s story of America as a constitutional project of achieving greater unity without effacing diversity; and Abraham Lincoln’s vision of America as a project of pursuing the enjoyment of the basic rights in the Declaration of Independence for all people, of all colors, everywhere. No single story is perfect. Americans need to build coalitions among proponents of different inclusive stories to win power and guide desirable policies.

A Cacophony of Stories

Most scholars agree that modern populists tell nationalist stories promising to protect “the people” against malignant elites. They appeal to economic and cultural anxieties stirred by many forms of globalization. They also respond, however, to the multiplicity of competing narratives of political identity that have proliferated globally since the end of the Cold War. These have created a cacophony of identity stories that often heightens the appeal of familiar nationalist ones. Examples are drawn from the three great waves of modern nation-building, including Wisconsin in the U.S. and Ulster-Scots in the U.K.’s Northern Ireland; the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines; and the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Introduction

Nationalist populist leaders today often claim they will protect “who we are” against cultural and economic threats and corrupt elites, speaking in essentialist terms, even as scholars portray national identities as constructed. But because we have failed to recognize how all human identities are partly constructed, scholars have not accepted the need to compose better stories of peoplehood to combat discriminatory and repressive stories. This book shows how to do so.