Constitutional patriotism

Constitutional patriotism (German: Verfassungspatriotismus) is the idea that people should form a political attachment to the norms and values of a pluralistic liberal democratic constitution rather than to a national culture or cosmopolitan society.^[1][2][3][4] It is associated with post-nationalist identity because, while it is seen as a similar concept to nationalism, the attachment is based on the constitution rather than on a national culture. In essence, it is an attempt to re-conceptualize group identity with a focus on the interpretation of citizenship as a loyalty that goes beyond individuals' ethnocultural identification. Theorists believe this to be more defensible than other forms of shared commitment in a diverse modern state with multiple languages and group identities.^[5] It is particularly relevant in post-national democratic states in which multiple cultural and ethnic groups coexist.^[4] It was influential in the development of the European Union and a key to Europeanism as a basis for multiple countries belonging to a supranational union.^[6]