Identity Crisis And Social Integration Of National States

Since the 1960s, the transformation of the modes of production and exchange bring economic globalization drives the changes of world political pattern, and bom of a series of global or regional economic and political organizations. The new international relationship and regional organizations have vast consequences For all of the current National States,Among them, the economic globalization and regional organizations effects Far-reaching negative effects for national states,and even have serivous threat to the development of it.Forced by the request of EU integration and the legitimation crisis of National States originating from the age of globalization, western scholars began to discuss the fate of National States, the construction of social integration and the collective identity in modern society which has relationship with the above two. In terms of the theory of communicative action and the theory of modernity, Habermas analyzed the collective identity theory in modem society and the social integration in the age of globalization by means of normative principle and functional investigation of politics, so that he can discuss and predict the fate of National States.From 1970s, Habermas’s study of collective identity theory of national states could be divided into two stages. The first, in 1970-80s, Habermas carried out his research by means of "the theory of communicative action". The major works are Legitimation Crisis, Restructure of Historical Materialism, The Theory of Communicative Action, etc. He reconstructed the normative connotation of historical materialism by means of communicative rationality between subjects, and formed his collective identity thought on the principle of the rationality of life-world. He historically demonstrated the differences between collective identity in modern society and national identity in traditional society, by analyzing the similarities between private identity and collective identity, and set forth the normative requirements of collective identity in modem society. He also determined the meaning of the collective identity in modern society in life-world, and tried to solve the question of validity in terms of the antithesis between system and life-world. In fact, he confirmed that "society" in life-world-norms in value and law mutual recognized by members in community-only afford the collective identity function in modern society community. The second, after 1980s, Habermas turned into the practical investigation of the functionality of collective identity. He wrote The Inclusion of The Other, The Post-national Constellation, The Theory of Communicative Action, etc., and revealed the contradictions in national identity by describing the histories of national states. For example, national identity, although considered as the legitimate foundation of modern national counties, cannot satisfy the normative requirements of the collective identity in modern society. It just corresponds to sorts of natural demands of different cultures. And it is too special to consist with the currency of globalization, so it will reinforce the opposition between particularism of nationalism and universalism of republicanism, and will cause the society to be disrupted. At this point, Habermas further developed the collective identity in modern society depended on post-nationalism. It breaks through the limitations of national identity and national states, and demonstrates "constitutional patriotism", "political culture" and the justification of validity at different levels in the theory of discourse democracy, and then illuminates the conception of "global civil society" beyond "National States". He also depicted the social integration of UN and EU in post-nationalism.National States as the latest form of social integration is prevailing in the contemporary world. Habermas investigated "nation" and "states" separately, and discussed two characters of National States, i.e. nationalism and democracy. Nation can be divided into "blood-culture community" and "politics-law community", the concept "nation as citizen" will be formed basing on the latter. So the concept "National States" includes two segments, i.e. nationalism and republicanism. That is to say, if there is a democracy country under the rule of law, nationalism will provides its legitimate foundation, but republicanism will provides its integrated form. However, the opposition between republicanism and nationalism never can be eliminated, that is, the opposition between citizen identity and national identity is the origin of National States crisis.In the age of globalization, the legitimate foundation of "National States" faces more and more crises. The cultural foundation and relatively homogeneous foundation of uniting citizen are shaken; traditional life style and territory of National States are altered; political regulatory mechanism of national states are falling down, National States has to be transformed into post-national structure. At the point, Habermas want to establish political union and mechanism over countries to substitute for the functions of national states, to make constitutional patriotism as the new foundation of citizen identity, and to construct new culture as the legitimate bedrock of social integration. That is to say, he wants to establish a new collective identity mode in European civil society on the theory of communicative rationality. To structure the recognition mechanism is just to structure political culture which takes constitutional patriotism as core. This leads to two normative basic concepts in modern social collective identity theory of Habermas. That is constitutional patriotism and universal human rights.In the transition from collective identity theory in modern social to social integration theory, Habermas conceives a new mode of social integration of post nation states. This new mode is to reconstruct the public sphere of globalization. That will make a rise of political dialogue which is characterized by deliberative democracy, and will also realize the transition from civil society of traditional nation states to the world civil society. Certainly, in the view of Habermas, we are not going to eliminate the nation state but to establish a "Stateless World" like "Utopia" in the future. What Habermas emphasized is the tolerance that world citizenship or national community gives to the differences between nation states.The thought of Constitutional Patriotism is core of Collective Identity and Social Integration which conformed Germany and EU integration by Habermas,is the result of long-term thinking and constantly revised. Although it have been questioned.In the transition from collective identity theory in modern social to social integration theory, Habermas conceives a new mode of social integration of post nation states. This new mode is to reconstruct the public sphere of globalization. That will make a rise of political dialogue which is characterized by deliberative democracy, and will also realize the transition from civil society of traditional nation states to the world civil society. Certainly, in the view of Habermas, we are not going to eliminate the nation state but to establish a "Stateless World" like "Utopia" in the future. What Habermas emphasized is the tolerance that world citizenship or national community gives to the differences between nation states.In the last part, we prospect as follows:First, we research the historical destiny of nation states in age of comprehensive globalization. Our basic conclusion is that on the basis of retaining national sovereignty in the future, more and more multinational organizations and regional institutions will accept deliberative democracy as a mode of political dialogue which is based on the principles of universal human rights. In the common faith of constitutionalism, nation states will gradually move towards regional political integration. Second, we research application prospect of collective identity theory in China. China is a multi-ethnic, multi-institution society. Now we meet the big test that how to realize the collective identity of Chinese nation in age of globalization, especially how to realize the collective identity and social integration cross-strait. Therefore, collective identity and social integration in modern society is not only the important problem of the European Union, but also an important problem for political development in China. So our basic conclusion is that, in order to realize unity and prosperity of our country, we should continue to implement multi-party cooperation and political consultation system, actively cultivate social public field and coherence national consciousness with the traditional Confucian spirit.