Nation Formation: Towards a Theory of Abstract Community (Politics and Culture series)

By Paul W. James

What is a nation and why is nationalism widespread in the world now? In this book Paul James argues that nation′ and nationalism′ are two of the most undertheorized and misunderstood concepts in the contemporary world.

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 n

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761950737
• ISBN13: 9780761950738
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.3"