Liberal Nationalism and Symbolic Religious Establishment

The chapter examines whether religious markers can legitimately be part of a state supported national identity by considering symbolic religious establishment involving state endorsement of religion. The liberal neutralist position-rejecting any state endorsement of culture or religion-and the liberal culturalist position-allowing culture but not religion to be endorsed by the state-are mistaken.The chapter argues for a disaggregation approach that views religion (and culture) as phenomena with several dimensions, each raising different issues of legitimacy. The chapter considers arguments for symbolic religious establishment based on claims that it does not alienate religious minorities, is liberal in content, and draws on cultural rather than theological dimensions of religion. Therefore, while the disaggregation approach in principle allows for state support for a national identity with religious elements, especially in cases of vestigial establishment, actual cases of symbolic religious establishment, especially cases of neo-establishment, often fail at the bar of equal inclusion.