Patrick Glenn, born in Toronto, Canada, in 1940. LL.D. from the Université de Strasbourg. Peter M. Laing Professor of Law of Comparative Law at McGill University, Montreal.
Henry G. Schermers Fellow (1 September 2010 – 30 June 2011)
THE COSMOPOLITAN STATE
In 2010/11, I wrote ten of twelve chapters of my book “The Cosmopolitan State”. The book argues that, in spite of the dominant notion of a nation-state, all states are cosmopolitan in character, both in terms of their populations and in terms of their laws. I argue that there never has been, and never will be, a nation state. Recognition of the cosmopolitan character of all states may contribute to the elimination or reduction of, pathological nationalism. In operation, the cosmopolitan state makes use of multivalent forms of logic, and the final chapter will point out the relevance of such a logic of conciliation in the working of contemporary states.