Key Concepts

Overview

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 political movement and symbolic language has such worldwide appeal and resilience. But nationalism is also a form of public culture and political religion, which draws on much older cultural and symbolic forms.

This book seeks to do justice to these different facets of nationalism. It aims to provide a concise and accessible introduction to the core concepts and varieties of nationalist ideology; a clear analysis of the major competing paradigms and theories of nations and nationalism – primordialist, perennialist, modernist and ethno-symbolic; a critical account of the often opposed histories and periodization of the nation and nationalism; and an assessment of the prospects of nationalism and of the current debates about the transcendence of nations and national states.

The scope of the book is broad and comparative. It is also interdisciplinary, drawing on ideas and insights from history, political science, sociology and anthropology. The focus is theoretical, but it also examines some of the main historical and contemporary empirical contributions to the literature on the subject. It concludes with a brief outline of the author's own ‘ethno-symbolic' approach to the history and prospects of nationalism, which attempts to explain its global power and persistence.

About the Author

Anthony Smith is Professor at the London School of Economics.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. Concepts
• 2. Ideologies
• 3. Paradigms
• 4. Theories
• 5. Histories
• 6. Prospects
• Notes
• Bibliography

Endorsements

“This is a very useful book indeed, clearly and incisively written. Whilst this is a fine introduction to its subject, discerning readers will recognize development within Smith's own position, most notably in his emphasis on the sacred quality of nations. The discussion of the ethnic/civic distinction is the best available.”

— John Hall, Professor of Sociology, McGill University and Queen's Uiversity, Belfast