Faces of Nationalism: Janus Revisited (Paperback)

by Tom Nairn (Author)

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Product Description
A challenging study charting the rise of progressive nationalism. Over the last few decades, Tom Nairn has been one of the most respected and provocative writers on questions of nationalism, British politics and the constitution. In his seminal essay "The Modern Janus," Nairn argued for the democratic necessity of nationalism in the modern world. Here, in this strikingly original and timely new work, he addresses the subsequent upheavals caused by nationalism. In Faces of Nationalism Tom Nairn argues that nation-building movements from 1750 to 1990 have saved the world from imperial barbarism. Contrary to many gloomy prognoses following the Soviet and Yugoslav collapses, Nairn argues that the chaos feared by so many observers is neither endless nor one-sidedly destructive. While insisting that nationalism is as inescapable as ever, Nairn shows how its forms and content are shifting. The ethnic definition of the national is giving way to the civic, the "natural" to the designed. Nairn believes that today's more civic and secular nationalism is a key feature of modernity and not an archaic reaction against it. Tom Nairn's wide-ranging discussion takes in Ireland and Palestine, Bosnia and Czecho-SIovakia, Cambodia and Rwanda, South Africa and Scotland. Faces of Nationalism is a work that demands to be read by anyone wanting to understand a central feature of politics in the modern world.

About the Author
Tom Nairn is the author of The Enchanted Glass and The Break-up of Britain (Verso). He lives and teaches in Edinburgh.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Verso (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859841945
• ISBN-13: 978-1859841945
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,489,397 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Original take on the theory of nationalism, August 29, 2000

By	Edward Bosnar (Zagreb, Croatia) - See all my reviews

Nairn is one of the leading theorists of nationalism in the English-speaking world, and this book is a comprehensive collection of his thoughts on the subject. Actually a collection of his articles from various journals and newspapers, the book covers most of the vital aspects of nationalism theory today. Nairn's most interesting, and original, conception of nationalism is that it is not a by-product of industrialization (a view widely held by many contemporary social scientists) but rather the very essence of modernity. He argues that nationalism has been and to some extent still is all about creating the social cohesion which makes possible industrialization and economic progress. In this vein, he believes nationalism should not be criticized across-the-board as a negative or anti-progressive phenomenon as it can still act as an agent of emancipation and development for many of the world's oppressed or downtrodden populations. However, Nairn does not make the mistake of tying nationalism exclusively to development, as he correctly observes that it emerges in many essentially rural societies as a potent social/political force-indeed the outward expression of many nationalisms, from the "classic" nationalisms of 19th century Europe to the most modern is a kitschy fetishization of rural, "folk" traditions. Thus, Nairn sees nationalism as the result of the still ongoing transition from rural to urban, and as the essential means for many to deal with modernity. Of course, this is a very simplified summary of Nairn's complex theory, and it perhaps makes him look too much like a proponent of the savage violence committed on behalf of the nation, which he is not. Although one can dispute Nairn's views on the nature of nationalism, one thing he makes quite clear is that nationalism is a fixed aspect of modern politics, economics and society which, for better or worse, cannot be wished away by some sort of idealistic yet unrealistic internationalism or cosmopolitanism. "Faces of Nationalism" is a very important contribution to the study of nationalism and a must-read for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge of the topic. However, it should only be read after studying the works of the other major theorists of nationalism today (i.e. Gellner, Anthony Smith, B. Anderson, L. Greenfeld, etc.) simply because Nairn builds on many of their arguments and also engages in polemics with them.