Nations Against the State, Second Editioni: The New Politics of Nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland [Hardcover]

Michael Keating (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0333921518 | ISBN-13: 978-0333921517 | Publication Date: June 2, 2001 | Edition: Second Edition

Quebec, Catalonia, and Scotland are three stateless nations looking for a future in a world beyond the nation state. This book argues that national identity may be a vital source of social cohesion in a world dominated by markets and global forces, but that this does not necessarily entail sovereign statehood in the traditional sense. These three nations are harbingers of a new post-sovereigntist nationhood.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a path-breaking book which focuses on the re-emergence of nationalism in three stateless nations." -- Monsterrat Guibernau, The Open University

About the Author

Michael Keating is Professor of Scottish Politics at the University of Aberdeen and Professor in Regional Studies, European University Institute, Florence.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; Second Edition edition (June 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333921518
• ISBN-13: 978-0333921517
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,314,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book for research on nationalism, November 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Nations Against the State: The New Politics of Nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland (Hardcover)

'Nations Against the State' is undoubtedly the best book I have read on the subject of new nationalism. I am doing a research paper on nationalism in Catalonia, Scotland and Quebec. You can imagine my surprise when I found this book on that exact topic. I felt as if I must be dreaming. On a more serious note, this book provides a sound basis for research into the subject of nationalism. Keating's argument that it has taken on a more civic rather than ethnic outlook is clearly presented in each case study. Overall, the book rates a ten with a clear portrayal and outline of each country's growing nationalism. I recommend 'Nations Against the State' to anyone interested in nationalism as a driving force in the modern political world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars in-depth study with one theoretical flaw, January 9, 2003

By 

Jason P. Sorens "Political Scientist" (Tonawanda, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nations Against the State: The New Politics of Nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia, and Scotland (Paperback)

Keating persuasively makes the case that new nationalisms in the developed West are not ethnic & exclusive but civic & inclusive. Too often secessionist movements are tagged with an "ethnic" or even "racial" label; in the U.S. secessionism also has connotations of violence. Yet these perceptions could not be farther from reality: today's secessionist movements are for the most part peaceful & democratic.

Yet Keating shrinks from labelling the nationalists of Quebec, Scotland, and Catalonia "secessionists," though in fact they really are. I suspect this timidity has to do with a theoretical flaw in this work. Keating's left-wing politics (he is a Labour Party activist in Britain) blind him to the dynamics underlying the new secessionist movements. He is sympathetic to minority nationalism but wishes to maintain that they are "hostile to business" and therefore do not really want to secede, because doing so would increase inter-state competition for capital and promote a regime of lower taxation and regulation. But these movements do want to secede: the only exception might be Catalonia, where the ERC supports secession, but the dominant CiU supports only a "right to independence," one that they do not wish to exercise just yet. Accordingly, secessionist movements are faced with a tension between their left-wing politics and the consequences of their institutional proposals. As a result, we see a rise in liberal or libertarian secessionist movements, like the Lega Nord in Italy and the Action Democratique Quebecois in Quebec. Even the SNP in Scotland is moving tentatively toward the free market.