This book is a tough read - worth a few go-overs. Her analysis was well-organized and well thought-out. Beginning with an overview of how she will show the gendered context of national reproduction, culture, citizenship, war and militarization, and identity politics and transversal perspectives, Yuval-Davis reveals from the start that this book will go deep into theory while maintaining a fresh, realistic perspective.
One of my favorite parts was the chapter on women's roles as carriers of the burden of the reproduction of national culture. Women not only have a responsibility to physically bear children to populate the nation (or to bear fewer children) to "maintain ethnic purity," but also they must engage in 'appropriate' behavior and appearances and exert control over other women 'deviants' to reinforce the national culture. Women also, Yuval-Davis discusses, have the burden of representation of national culture, which she explores through a discussion of the concept of honor. She talks about how, in many societies around the world, women are murdered by male relatives because of shame brought to families. Despite this seemingly powerful role women have in reproducing and policing culture - as physically bearing the children and socially engaging in and producing culture - Yuval-Davis talks about how women are not usually actors within their societies. They are usually objects, kept in their 'proper position' by these cultural codes. This pluralism fascinated as well as sickened me. Yuval-Davis did a wonderful job discussing the concept of national culture through a gendered lens.