Abstract
This article proposes a sociological framework for the constitution of pluralism within the nation state. Revisiting Max Weber's concept of social closure in light of recent scholarship in ethnic relations, the approach developed in this article first emphasizes the constitution of groups within majority/minority relations. It shows that processes of racialization and ethnicization are at the heart of social relations. Second, it argues that nations are constituted in inter- and intra-national relations of conflict and power. This allows one to deconstruct the civic/ethnic dichotomy without losing the theoretical value of these concepts. Rather than being cultural properties, civic and ethnic forms of nationalism allude to different positions of power held by groups and nations in their respective constitutive contexts. Finally, normative pluralism is defined as being produced through conflict and struggle between the dominant group and various minorities. The article examines the relations between different national imaginations and diverse types of pluralism (e.g. multinationalism and multiculturalism). It also accounts for the intersections between different types of pluralism.
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