Nationalism

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.

Seeking to do justice to these different facets of nationalism,
the second edition of this popular and respected overview has been
revised and updated with contemporary developments and the latest
scholarly work. 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; a critical account of the
often opposed histories and periodization of the nation and
nationalism; and an assessment of the prospects of nationalism and
its continued global power and persistence.

Broad and comparative in scope, the book is strongly
interdisciplinary, drawing on ideas and insights from history,
political science, sociology and anthropology. The focus is
theoretical, but it also includes a fresh examination of some of
the main historical and contemporary empirical contributions to the
literature on the subject. It will continue to be an invaluable
resource for students of nationalism across the social
sciences.