Table of Contents

Preface vii

Introduction 1

1 Concepts 5

The Meanings of Nationalism 5

Definitions 9

2 Ideologies 24

Fundamental Ideals 27

Core Concepts 31

Nationalism as Culture and Religion 36

Voluntarism and Organicism 39

‘Ethnic’ and ‘Civic’ Nationalisms 42

3 Paradigms 47

Modernism 49

Perennialism 53

Primordialism 55

Ethno-symbolism 60

Conclusion 63

4 Theories 66

Ideology and Industrialism 66

Reason and Emotion 72

Politics and Culture 77

Elites and Everyday Nationalism 82

Construction and Reinterpretation 85

Conclusion 93

5 Histories 95

‘Great Nations’, Small Ethnies 96

Nations Before Nationalism 100

Nations in Antiquity? 110

Nations in History: An Alternative View 115

Conclusion 125

6 Prospects 129

Proliferating Nationalism 129

The Demise of the Nation-state? 132

Hybrid Identities? 136

The Dissolution of Nationalism? 139

The Consumer Society 141

Global Culture? 143

Internationalizing Nationalism 146

Uneven Ethno-histories 150

Sacred Foundations 153

Conclusion 157

Notes 159

Appendix 172

References 177

Index 197

About the Author

Anthony D. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics.

Reviews

"All who are interested in the study of nationalism are most fortunate to have available this masterly, updated distillation of Anthony Smith's four decades of intensive scholarship on the topic. It is concise and yet treats all of nationalism's key aspects, including its wellsprings and historical evolution. Students are certain to benefit from its clarity and from its critical, sweeping review of the literature." Walker Connor, Middlebury College, Vermont "This is a very accessible and engaging introduction to the major debates on the study of nationalism. It also manages to say something new and offers many insights into the complex phenomenon that is nationalism. Readers will find the definitions of concepts very helpful." Gerard Delanty, University of Sussex