Nations and Nationalism

"Brilliant, provocative ... a great book." New Statesman

<!--end-->"An important book ... a new starting line from which all subsequent discussions of nationalism will have to begin." New Society

"A better explanation than anyone has yet offered of why nationalism is such a prominent principle of political legitimacy today ... a terse and forceful work ... the product of great intellectual energy and an impressive range of knowledge." Times Literary Supplement

"Gellner's short book is an incisive, penetrating and persuasive discussion of how the nation-states of the modern industrial world differ from earlier states ... Gellner uses this analysis to explain the force of nationalism in the modern world." International Security

"Gellner's range is wide, covering the ideas of some modern thinkers from Marx, Malinowski and Carr to heideggar, Hroch, Havel and Said." Race and Class.

Nationalism is one of the most powerful forces in the modern world, yet it is surprisingly little studied and only imperfectly understood, either by its adherents or its opponents. Its irruption into the modern world is often explained as a resurgence of primitive, atavistic instincts, or as a delusion fostered by a few theoreticians, politicians or propagandists. The present volume interprets nationalism in terms of its social roots, which it locates in industrial social organization. A society that aims for affluence and economic growth, Professor Gellner argues, depends on innovation, occupational mobility, mass media, universal literacy, and education in a shared, standard idiom. Taken together these transform the relationship between culture and the state. The functioning of the society depends on an all-embracing educational system, tied to one culture and protected by a state identified with that culture. The principle one state, one culture makes itself felt, and political units which do not conform to it feel the strain in the form of nationalist activity.

"...Hobsbawm's deft demystifications will provoke debate and provide good reading. Again." Eugen Weber, University of California at Los Angeles, Critical Review

"...a brilliant exploration into the shifting, evolving role of nations and nationalism in modern history, most importantly in Europe." Kirkus Reviews

"Appearing just when reform in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union is being threatened by emergent nationalism, Eric Hobsbawm's inquiry is particularly timely...succinct and masterly." Roy Porter, New Statesman and Society

"Hobsbawm, a grand master of comparative historical sociology, commands attention by his name alone. But this superb essay adds further luster to a reputation which really needs no further polish; he offers a lucid and succinct overview of the changing meanings of the idea of nationalism, and its impact upon the political world....The book sparkles with captivating insights about the intinerary of nation and state since 1780." The Review of Politics

"...a fascinating account of the history of nationalism and the modern nation