Mapping the Nation

by Benedict Anderson (Introduction), John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton (Contributor), Otto Bauer (Contributor)

In nearly two decades since Samuel P. Huntington proposed his influential and troubling ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis, nationalism has only continued to puzzle and frustrate commentators, policy analysts and political theorists. No consensus exists concerning its identity, genesis or future. Are we reverting to the petty nationalisms of the nineteenth century or evolving into a globalized, supranational world? Has the nation-state outlived its usefulness and exhausted its progressive and emancipatory role?

Opening with powerful statements by Lord Acton and Otto Bauer – the classic liberal and socialist positions, respectively – Mapping the Nation presents a wealth of thought on this issue: the debate between Ernest Gellner and Miroslav Hroch; Gopal Balakrishnan’s critique of Benedict Anderson’s seminal Imagined Communities ; Partha Chatterjee on the limitations of the Enlightenment approach to nationhood; and contributions from Michael Mann, Eric Hobsbawm, Tom Nairn, and Jürgen Habermas.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Theory, Academic, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Benedict Richard O'Gorman Anderson was Aaron L. Binenkorb Professor Emeritus of International Studies, Government & Asian Studies at Cornell University, and is best known for his celebrated book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, first published in 1983. Anderson was born in Kunming, China, to James O'Gorman Anderson and Veronica Beatrice Bigham, and in 1941 the family moved to California. In 1957, Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Cambridge University, and he later earned a Ph.D. from Cornell's Department of Government, where he studied modern Indonesia under the guidance of George Kahin. He is the brother of historian Perry Anderson.

Reviews

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Введение в теорию наций и национализма, какой она сложилась к середине 1990-х (хотя есть пара более древних текстов). Представлены и Б. Андерсон, и М. Хрох, и Э. Геллнер, и Э. Хобсбаум; я бы ещё работу К. Вердери выделил. Хорошо переведено, всего пару ошибок заметил ("Мэри Энн" там, где должна быть Марианна, символ французской нации).

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of articles that does not explain much, but does so in many words. After reading this collection the buyer will be elated to find out that the Nation is not a chair or a christmass tree. Although, I doubt this is a book made to be bought by people, rather by institutions.