Nationalism - Anthony D. Smith

For the last two centuries, nationalism has been a central featureof society and politics. Few ideologies can match its power andresonance, and no other political movement and symbolic languagehas such worldwide appeal and resilience. But nationalism is also aform of public culture and political religion, which draws on mucholder cultural and symbolic forms.

Seeking to do justice to these different facets of nationalism,the second edition of this popular and respected overview has beenrevised and updated with contemporary developments and the latestscholarly work. It aims to provide a concise and accessibleintroduction to the core concepts and varieties of nationalistideology; a clear analysis of the major competing paradigms andtheories of nations and nationalism; a critical account of theoften opposed histories and periodization of the nation andnationalism; and an assessment of the prospects of nationalism andits continued global power and persistence.

Broad and comparative in scope, the book is stronglyinterdisciplinary, drawing on ideas and insights from history,political science, sociology and anthropology. The focus istheoretical, but it also includes a fresh examination of some ofthe main historical and contemporary empirical contributions to theliterature on the subject. It will continue to be an invaluableresource for students of nationalism across the socialsciences.