Frames of the Slovak national identity construction

The paper analyses the underlying frames of current Slovak national identit y discussions. It suggests that they are the following: the prevailing libe ralism and its doubts about the legitimacy of subordination of individuals to collectivity (community), and its understanding the construction of coll ective identity as a potential limitation of individual freedom; the fear o f nationalism as well as of being labelled a nationalist; the economic tran sformation and the increase of class differences. The authors stress the ne ed to overcome the common understanding of constructivism as a fabrication and point out the political benefits of deliberative constructivist approac h to collective (national) identity. The benefits are the liberation of the determinism of essentialist (romanticist) approach from the issue of natio nal identity and the increased opportunity to choose identity as well as th e future (either collective or individual).