This book is an excellent, comprehensive account of the ways in which nations and nationhood have evolved over time. Successful in hardback, it is now available in paperback for a student audience.
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Editorial Reviews
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"The scope of Smith's work is breathtaking ... Part I is in some respects the most original part of the book; to my knowledge there is no comparable survey." Journal of American Ethnic History
"Unquestionably an important contribution to the literature on nationalism ... this is a thoughtful, insightful investigation into the roots and strengths of ethnonational identity. ... I recommend it unhesitatingly to all students of nationalism." Walker Connor, Trinity College, Hartford
A well-researched, perceptive study of an important subject. It discusses comprehensively ethnic communities in pre-modern eras and ethnic and nations in modern ones. In addition to being based on solid facts, it is methodologically sound and conceptually provocative ... no political scientist, historian or sociologist can do without it." A. Jacob M. Landau, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Smith's depth of learning is awe-inspiring, and this work deserves a prominent place wherever nationalism is discussed." Michael Levin, Ethnic and Racial Studies
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This book is an excellent, comprehensive account of the ways in which nations and nationhood have evolved over time. Successful in hardback, it is now available in paperback for a student audience.
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
title says it all,
This review is from: The Ethnic Origins of Nations (Paperback)
In this book Anthony Smith does exactly what he sets out to do, namely show how important ethnic groups have been for setting the foundation of modern nations. Neglected by such modernists as Anderson, Hobsbawm and Kedourie, ethnic groups have been around for as long as the written word: Smith digs into the past and comes out with gobs of them in the ancient Middle East alone, some of them quite obscure: you definitely deserve a prize if you've heard of the Arameans, Hurrians, Urartians and Amorites.Smith creates a whole typology about ethnic groups. He claims that all ethnic groups (or, as he calls them, 'ethnies', from the French for 'ethnic community') have several key aspects, including a name, common myth of descent, shared history and culture, territory and a sense of solidarity. They also fit into two main categories: lateral ethnies, which are based on an aristocracy and clerisy and rule over an indefinite but often large area, and the vertical ethnies, based on a urban, priestly or artisan class which rule over a small but clearly marked area. Smith discusses the development of nations in the context of the French Revolution, when the modern concept of citizenship entered the picture, and here his narrative lets up a bit. Devoting most of the book to ethnicity, when he comes to discussing the two main types of modern nations - territorial (or non-ethnic) and ethnic - he spends too much time on the latter and not enough on former. This is an important flaw, since he thereby almost dismisses those nations like the U.S. which do not have an ethnic foundation and thus do not fit his theory. Nonetheless this book is useful for the sole but important purpose of reinforcing the link between many nations and their ethnic pasts.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Why are men and women willing to die for their countries? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
many ethnie, other ethnie, more ethnie, demotic ethnie, particular ethnie, aristocratic ethnie, given ethnie, lateral ethnie, dominant ethnie, core ethnie, ethnic mythologies, ethnic fragments, bureaucratic incorporation, ethnic kinsmen, triple revolution, ancestry myths, ethnic survival, ethnic persistence, ethnic polities, ethnic sentiments, economic autarchy, social penetration, ethnic cores, civic model, common ethnicity Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Middle East, Middle Ages, Eastern Europe, United States, Near East, French Revolution, Great Tradition, Western Europe, Little Traditions, Third World, William Tell, Mongol Khans, Muslim Arab, Ottoman Turks New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Why are men and women willing to die for their countries? Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
many ethnie, other ethnie, more ethnie, demotic ethnie, particular ethnie, aristocratic ethnie, given ethnie, lateral ethnie, dominant ethnie, core ethnie, ethnic mythologies, ethnic fragments, bureaucratic incorporation, ethnic kinsmen, triple revolution, ancestry myths, ethnic survival, ethnic persistence, ethnic polities, ethnic sentiments, economic autarchy, social penetration, ethnic cores, civic model, common ethnicity Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Middle East, Middle Ages, Eastern Europe, United States, Near East, French Revolution, Great Tradition, Western Europe, Little Traditions, Third World, William Tell, Mongol Khans, Muslim Arab, Ottoman Turks New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- National Separatism by Colin H. Williams in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Ethnic Groups and the State by Paul Brass in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Open Society and Its Enemies, Vol. 1: The Spell of Plato by Sir Karl Raimund Popper in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Conflict Resolution by John W. Burton in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Balkans in Transition: Essays on the Development of Balkan Life and Politics Since the Eighteenth Century by Charles Jelavich in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- Myths and Memories of the Nation by Anthony D. Smith on 9 pages
- Ethnicity and Argument in Eusebius' Praeparatio Evangelica (Oxford Early Christian Studies) by Aaron P. Johnson on 7 pages
- Rethinking Ethnicity: Majority Groups and Dominant Minorities by Eric P. Kaufmann on 5 pages
- Rethinking Ethnicity: Majority Groups and Dominant Minorities by Eric P. Kaufmann on 5 pages
- Kurdish Nationalism and Political Islam in Turkey: Kemalist Identity in Transition (Middle East Studies: History, Politics & Law) by Omer Taspinar in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
See all 100 books citing this book
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