Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Achieving prevalence as an ideology in the political and social ferment of late 18th-century Europe and America, nationalism first found expression during the course of such historical upheavals as the American and French Revolutions. Its founders and early sponsors--Rousseau, Herder, Fichte, Korais, and Mazzini--looked to nationalism as the manifestation of modern humanity's most essential aspirations: autonomy, unity, identity. Born of notions regarding popular freedom and sovereignty that had been gathering momentum for generations, it conjured up images of a modernizing West at once hungry for change and yearning for a return to age-old concepts of fraternity and ancient heritage. Since that time nationalism, having taken on countless different dimensions, remains a vital and dynamic force for change--whether for good or otherwise.

Despite only recently becoming the subject of scholarly debate, nationalism has been the focus of a truly prodigious amount of writing. This important Oxford Reader makes the topic more accessible by offering a broad, authoritative treatment of the key contributions to the subject, while giving unprecedented depth to recent debates and issues. Edited by two of the field's most influential scholars, the readings are representative of the vast array of experience and scholarship that have shaped the concept of nationalism for over two centuries. From Ernest Renan's What is a Nation?, written in the 1880s, to the more current views of the 1990s, Nationalism gathers under one cover an impressive array of writing on everything from imagined communities to ethno-regional movements. In no other volume will students of politics, history, sociology, anthropology, international relations, and cultural studies have access to such a definitive appraisal of one of the modern world's most influential--and explosive--ideas.

Review:

"The most comprehensive and up-to-date selection of writings on nationalism, including many of the seminal authors. An excellent collection!"--Frank Tachau, University of Illinois at Chicago

"An amazing amount of information is included. This book contains excerpts from the works of some of the best scholars on nationalism. The authors have a diverse set of views , and...have selected the core parts of these writings for inclusion."--Dean McHeiry, Claremont College

"This type of reader is badly needed for courses that take a serious thematic approach to world history."--J. Michael Allen, Brigham Young University

"This is the first reader to be published on the subject of nationalism in many years. It is an invaluable collection of 49 expertly chosen extracts from the key authors in the field....[W]ill become the standard work in courses on nationalism. Its pithy extracts will introduce students to the breadth of the literature in the field..."--Choice

"Excellent collection of articles with good historical coverage and a useful bibliography. I will certainly adopt it."--Oriol Pi-Sunyer, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Synopsis:

Nationalism is one of the most powerful forces in the modern world, yet its study has only recently gained popularity. This reader gives historical depth to the recent debates on nationalism and traces the development of thought on nationalism across a range of issues.

Anthony Smith is Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics. John Hutchinson is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities at Griffith University, Brisbane.