Nation Formation Vol. 45Towards a Theory of Abstract Community |
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| Author:
| James, Paul W. |
| Series title: | Politics and Culture Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-7619-5072-1 |
| Publication Date: | Oct 1996 |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications, Limited
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $120.00 |
Book Description:
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`Nation Formation is comprehensive in its critical engagement with the principal theories of nationalism and unusually rich in its use of historical illustration′ - Andrew Linklater, Keele University `Well structured, clear and engaging - it builds on and moves beyond a critique of other texts. It is in many ways the kind of book a reviewer dreads - there is very little left to say!′ - Keith Tester, University of...
More Description
`Nation Formation is comprehensive in its critical engagement with the principal theories of nationalism and unusually rich in its use of historical illustration′ - Andrew Linklater, Keele University
`Well structured, clear and engaging - it builds on and moves beyond a critique of other texts. It is in many ways the kind of book a reviewer dreads - there is very little left to say!′ - Keith Tester, University of Portsmouth
The author guides the reader through the theoretical contributions of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Gellner, Nairn and Giddens, demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments. This theoretical survey is threaded into a discussion of recent political crises such as the war in Bosnia and the genocide in Rwanda. Throughout, the aim is not to rediscover the concepts of `nation′ and `nationalism′ but to use classical and contemporary approaches to offer a new way of theorizing. James argues that the nation is an abstract and contradictory community. The result is a powerful book which operates as an overview of the key writings in the field and also gives a distinctive twist to the debate.