Nation-States: Consciousness and Competition

by Neil Davidson

In his latest collection of essays, Neil Davidson brings his formidable analytical powers to bear on the concept of the capitalist nation-state. Through probing inquiry, Davidson draws out how nationalist ideology and consciousness is used to bind the subordinate classes to “the nation,” while simultaneously using “the state” as a means of conducting geopolitical competition for capital.

Genres: Politics

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2016

About the author

Neil Davidson lectured in sociology at the University of Glasgow and is the author of six books, including the Deutscher Prize–winning Discovering the Scottish Revolution and, most recently, Nation-States. He wrote some of the most widely read analyses of the previous referendum and Scottish independence for journals including Bella Caledonia, Jacobin, New Left Review, Radical Philosophy and Salvage.

Reviews

[Cedric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of essays on nationalism, national consciousness and the place of nation states in the capitalist world system.

[Tiarnán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davidson is one of those writers who is interesting even (or maybe even especially) when he is wrong; which is rare enough.