The Endurance of Nationalism: Ancient Roots and Modern Dilemmas [Hardcover]

Aviel Roshwald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0521842670 | ISBN-13: 978-0521842679 | Edition: 1

Aviel Roshwald directly challenges prevalent scholarly orthodoxies about the exclusively modern character of nationalism. He argues that nationalism's enduring power to shape the world we live in arises directly out of its position at the heart of inescapable social and political paradoxes that are not only fundamental to the modern experience, but many of whose roots can be traced back into ancient history. Modern nationalisms, the author contends, cannot be fully understood without first examining their ancient counterparts and archetypes. Deploying a broad array of historical and contemporary case studies (ranging from ancient Jewish nationalism to the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from the nationalist politics of ancient Greece to the contested memory of the Alamo, and from the Yugoslav wars to Northern Ireland's Orange Parades) the author argues that a responsible politics of nationalism depends upon a forthright acknowledgement of the deep-seated and intrinsically insoluble dilemmas that inhere in it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is much to commend in this fine book, this is a well-argued and fascinating book, with a wealth of detailed analysis; it makes a convincing case for the ubiquity and resilience of nationalism well into the twenty-first century."
Anthony D. Smith, The International History Review

"In his rejection of the modernists, he bends the twig back toward a perennialist, even primordialist, notion of nations and nationalism. Those who have laid down their pens, complacently assured that the modernist approach has won the day, should take his arguments seriously and think through the challenges he issues."
Ronald Grigor Suny, American Journal of Sociology

"Roshwald's writing is forceful and witty, waxing rhetorical, even poetic, at times." -Hasan Kayali, International Journal of Turkish Studies

Book Description

Aviel Roshwald challenges prevailing assumptions about the exclusively modern and transitory nature of nationalism in a study that ranges from ancient Jews and Greeks to the modern Arab-Israeli, Northern Irish, and Yugoslav conflicts, and from the politics of Jerusalem's Temple Mount to the contested memory of the Alamo in Texas.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 362 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (October 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521842670
• ISBN-13: 978-0521842679
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,157,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aviel Roshwald is a Professor of History at Georgetown University, where he teaches courses on the comparative history of ethnic politics and nationalism in modern Europe and the Middle East, as well as on European diplomatic history. Together with his colleague John McNeill, he is the convener of the International History Seminar at the Georgetown Institute for Global History, which serves as a forum for scholars from around the country and around the world to present their work in progress.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an eye-opening book, January 9, 2010

By 

Adam Marks (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Endurance of Nationalism: Ancient Roots and Modern Dilemmas (Hardcover)

This is a surprising book in a number of ways. For one, it challenges popular views of the history of nationalism. Aviel Roshwald convincingly argues that nationalism is not just a modern phenomenon but has existed in its familiar form since ancient times. He provides plenty of evidence to support his argument, relying on sources as disparate as the Jewish Bible and Thucydides. His account of American nationalism helps shed light on recent U.S. foreign policy in a way no other book I can think of has done. His section on Texas and the Alamo is brilliantly inventive as it brings together analysis of cultural artifacts and localized forms of nationalism. It's rare to find a scholarly book that is serious, witty, and readable all at the same time, but in this respect "The Endurance of Nationalism" is unrivaled.