Otto Bauer: The idea of nation as a plural community and the question of territorial and non-territorial autonomy

Abstract

This article presents a detailed analysis of the concept of nation in the work of Austro-Marxist Otto Bauer. In his view, the nation is conceived as an evolutionary process of political, open and plural construction. His work also unravels the connections of nation with a plurinational democratic state, which was at the time a novel political and institutional vision. The article argues that his work is very relevant today, with rising complexity of the new contexts of global society and the multiplication of migrations and refugees; and the need to respond through an accommodation of minorities through mechanisms of territorial and non-territorial autonomy. Much of these concerns form the substance of Otto Bauer’s work.

Ovaj članak predstavlja detaljnu analizu kocepta nacije u delu austrijskog marksiste Ota Bauera. U njegovom viđenju, nacija je osmišljena kao evolutivni proces političke, otvorene i pluralne konstrukcije. Njegovo delo takođe otkriva i veze između nacije sa plurinacionalnom demokratskom državom, što je u njegovo doba predstavljalo novu političku i institucionalnu viziju. Zastupa se stanovište da je, danas, sa sve većim usložnjavanjem novih koncepata glo balnog društva i umnožavanjem migracija i izbeglica – kao i potrebom da se na to odgovori putem prilagođavanja manjina kroz mehanizme teritorijalne i neteritorijalne autonomije – njegovo delo i dalje veoma relevantno. Sva ova pitanja umnogome čine samu suštinu dela Ota Bauera.