Nationalism: Theory, Idealogy, History

Key Concepts (Polity)

by Anthony D. Smith

For the last two centuries, nationalism has been a central feature of society and politics. Few ideologies can match its power and resonance and no other symbolic language has such worldwide appeal and resilience. However, nationalism is more than an ideological movement - it is also a form of public culture which draws on much older cultural and symbolic forms.


This book provides a concise, accessible introduction to the concept of nationalism. It focuses on competing paradigms and theories of nations and nationalism, and analyses the subject in terms of ideology, theory and history.


The approach is broadly comparative and interdisciplinary, with concrete examples and a time-scale stretching from the ancient world to the contemporary global age. The book concludes with an assessment of the prospects of nationalism and of the transcendence of nations and nation states.


Anthony Smith's book will appeal to all those interested in this dynamic subject, including students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, history, politics and international relations.

Genres: Politics, History, Political Science, Nonfiction, Academic, Social Science, Philosophy

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 28, 2002

About the author

Anthony D. Smith was Professor Emeritus of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics, and is considered one of the founders of the interdisciplinary field of nationalism studies. His best-known contributions to the field are the distinction between 'civic' and 'ethnic' types of nations and nationalism, and the idea that all nations have dominant 'ethnic cores'. While Smith agreed with other authors that nationalism is a modern phenomenon, he insisted that nations have pre-modern origins.

Reviews

[Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un gran libro que sirve tanto para un primer acercamiento a un tema tan complejo como es el nacionalismo como para una sistematización de este fenómeno que pueda servir como cimiento de posteriores acercamientos. Muy recomendable.

[Deng · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive introduction to the study of nationalism, written in plain language. Better to read it from time to time,so get yourself prepared to the discussion of nationalism.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this book for my Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict class... not sure if it is intended as a primer for newcomers to the subject, but it was an incredibly dense text. There were parts of it that I liked and that I thought were explained very clearly and effectively, but other parts of the text were difficult to grasp. I found myself having to reread sections over and over and over again, often after periods of a few hours, before I came to even a marginal understanding of what he was talking about. A lot of the book is in regards to the semantics of nation, nationalism, ethnies, etc. Smith is also clearly an outstanding academic and authority on the topic and made countless references to other scholars and writings on the subject, which were all entirely lost on me. Hoping that the class discussion will shed a bit more light on the text. Happily for me, all of my other classmates have thus far agreed that the text was a difficult one to read and that they too had to reread passages several times.

[В'ячеслав Омельченко · Rating 3 out of 5]

Доволі струнка наукова робота, відносно недавня. Добре змальовані основні парадигми розгляду націоналізму — переніалізм, примордіалізм, модернізм і сповідуваний автором "етносимволізм". Якихось гострих прозрінь для себе я не знайшов, але, в цілому, непогана книга, про яку, проте, особливо нема що сказати.

[Septa Karolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bahasanya harus dibaca dua kali baru ngerti. wajar sih, namanya juga terjemahan. Dijelaskan dengan contoh yang baik dan banyak. sayangnya pesan untuk masyarakat agar nasionalisnya kurang aja. lumayanlah.

[Frits Brouwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but could have been a tad more structured.

[Atila Demirkasımoğlu]

Okumaya başladım.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent review of the literature and theories of nationalism.

[Ann Bjerregaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good introductory work, but sometimes his writing style is confusing in that it becomes unclear who thinks what and whether he endorses their views.

[Brendan McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the topic from one of the most important scholars in the field.

[shk · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is not engaging.