Description: Why has nationalism proved so durable? What are the roots of its appeal? This sharp and accessible book slices through the myths surrounding nationalism and provides an important new perspective on this perennial subject.
Nationalism and Social Theory argues that:
{ nationalism is persistent, not merely because of its specific ideological appeal, but because it expresses some of the major conflicts in modernity
{ nationalism reflects and reinforces four key trends in Western social development: state formation, democratization, capitalism and the rationalization of culture
{ the forms of nationalism can be organized into a comprehensive typology which is outlined in the course of this study
{ post-nationalism and cosmopolitanism are significant innovations in the debate about nation-states and nationalism
{ the new radical nationalisms have become powerful new movements in the global age
The book offers students and researchers an authoritative guide to understanding nationalism today and demonstrates the twists and turns of the debate around social theory and nationalism.
Brief description: Gerard Delanty is Reader in Sociology at the University of Liverpool
Review Quotes: `An outstanding contribution to the sociology of nationalism and modernity, Delanty and O'Mahony have developed a major sociological perspective on the kaleidoscopic world of nationalism, patriotism, xenophobia and fundamentalism.′ - Bryan S. Turner University of Cambridge