How can Nation be Understood as a Civic Concept?
Shared Values and Beliefs Expressed in Law
The Canadian Constitution expresses the values and beliefs that Canadians choose to
embrace and agree to follow as a condition of citizenship. It is difficult to change the
constitution so these values and beliefs are protected and preserved against being changed
quickly by the government. It takes widespread agreement to change the constitution.
When people, no matter what their ethnicity, culture, language, agree to live according to
particular values and beliefs expressed as law, they have created a civic nation.
The Making of a Civic Nation
“Civic” is a word referring to citizens, the key element of a civic nation. “Civic
government” refers to government by citizens. So, a civic nation is a nation where
citizens choose to live together according to shared principles.
Canada as a Civic Nation
Canadians do not have a common religion, language, ethnicity, or culture, but in a civic
nation state these things may not matter as much. It has been suggested that Canadians’
choice to live together as a civic nation is the reason for Canadian politeness.
Nation and Nation State
Britain is another example of a civic nation. Britain was created out of four nations: the
Irish, Scottish, English, and Welsh Peoples. Today these people continue to live together
along with many immigrants with their own backgrounds. All of these people form a
civic nation on the basis of shared values and beliefs, as well as a common identity that
has evolved over time.
Ethnic Nationalism is different from civic nationalism because it is based on a shared
ethnicity, culture, and language. For example in the early 1800s German-speaking people
were separated into a number of small countries. Supporters of the idea of a single
German nation-state believed that all German-speaking people should be joined together
in one country. In 1871, many small German-speaking states such as Bavaria, Prussia,
and Saxony united to form Germany