Nations and Nationalism by Ernest Gellner

Nations and Nationalism by Ernest Gellner

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Summary

An explanation of why nationalism is a prominent principle of political legitimacy today.

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Nations and Nationalism by Ernest Gellner

Nationalism is one of the most powerful forces in the modern world, yet it is surprisingly little studied and only imperfectly understood, either by its adherents or its opponents. Its irruption into the modern world is often explained as a resurgence of primitive, atavistic instincts, or as a delusion fostered by a few theoreticians, politicians or propagandists.The present volume interprets nationalism in terms of its social roots, which it locates in industrial social organization. A society that aims for affluence and economic growth, Professor Gellner argues, depends on innovation, occupational mobility, mass media, universal literacy, and education in a shared, standard idiom. Taken together these transform the relationship between culture and the state. The functioning of the society depends on an all-embracing educational system, tied to one culture and protected by a state identified with that culture. The principle one state, one culture makes itself felt, and political units which do not conform to it feel the strain in the form of nationalist activity.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780631130888
ISBN 10 0631130888
Title Nations and Nationalism
Author Ernest Gellner
Series New Perspectives On The Past
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Year published 1983-07-28
Number of pages 160
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable