Nationalism and nationalist ideologies and movements Books

Book SynopsisA fresh, original history of America's national narratives, told through the loss, recovery, and rise of one influential Puritan sermon from 1630 to the present dayTrade Review“Van Engen is an elegant, accessible writer, and this is a truly illuminating study of America.”—Ron Charles, Washington Post“Engaging and substantive.”—Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal“An elegant piece of historical detective work . . . City on a Hill grasps a phrase you may think you understand—and then it turns that phrase to open the door to a huge room of rediscovered knowledge. . . . [A] wonderful archaeology of an American idea.”—David Frum, The AtlanticWinner of the 2021 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize, awarded by the Massachusetts Historical Society: “A major contribution to the historical scholarship on Puritanism and American exceptionalism. . . . Truly an influential book.”Winner of the 2022 Pelikan Award, a biannual prize given by an independent committee of Yale faculty, sponsored by Yale University Press“This deeply researched and startling study of national myth is a revelation. Van Engen takes us on an extraordinary intellectual journey through the idea of exceptionalism. Here, good history punctures our hardened assumptions with evidence, even as it allows for myth’s powers over our imaginations.”—David W. Blight, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom“Fluidly written, deeply and widely researched, persuasively argued, scintillating, and stunningly effective. . . . A landmark contribution.”—Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word“Van Engen uncovers the story of the most revered sermon in the American saga, tracing its shadowy origin to the bully pulpit centuries later as a motto for national exceptionalism. A trifecta of scholarship, narrative history, and a timely contribution to debates over our role in the world.”—Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution“Abram Van Engen has written a brilliant cultural history of how the meaning of America has been defined, over time, by appeals to the Puritans’ grand vision of a ‘city on a hill.’ This story, with its many twists and turns, illuminates the power and the contradictions of these myths of American exceptionalism. The chapters on the influence of Perry Miller are truly exceptional.”—Nathan Hatch, president of Wake Forest University“Abram Van Engen blends deep research in rare primary sources with a gripping story that runs from the 1620s to the present. Drawing on history, religion, and literature, he makes a persuasive argument in page-turning prose about the mythic roots of American exceptionalism. This should be a prize-winning book.”—Grant Wacker, author of One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham

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Book SynopsisHow can democracies deal with plurality? This book looks at the political accommodation of national plurality in liberal democracies and in the European Union at the turn of the century. Its panel of international authorities examines this issue from a variety of perspectives, considering questions of citizenship, multiculturalism, immigration and equality. The contributors, many of whom have set the terms of this debate in international political science, include Will Kymlicka, Carlos Closa, Michael Keating, Enric Fossas, Wayne Norman and Ricard Zapata Barrero.Table of Contents1. Introduction: 'It is so very late that we may call it early by and by' Ferran Requejo 2. The New Debate over Minority Rights Will Kymlicka 3. Nations Without the States, Minority Nationalism in the Global Era Michael Keating 4. National Plurity and Equality Enric Fossas 5. Secession and (Constitutional) Democracy Wayne Norman 6. National Plurity within Single Statehood in the European Union Carlos Closa 7. The Limits of a Multinational Europe: Democracy and Immigration in the European Union Ricard Zapata 8. Democratic Legitimacy and National Plurism Ferran Requejo

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Book SynopsisThe major socio-political changes of the last decades have led to changing ways of being national, changes in the content of national identity if not in the national categories themselves. This comparative social scientific volume takes examples of transitions to democracy (East Europe, Spain) to peace (South Africa, Israel, Northern Ireland) and to territorial decentralization (the United Kingdom, France, Spain), showing in each case how socio-political change and identity change have interlocked. It defines a typology of national identity shift, tracing the changing state forms which provoke national identity shift, and analyzing the process of identity change, its motivations and legitimations. Collecting together a wide range of examples, from South Africa to the Czech Republic from the Basque Country to the Mexican and Irish borders; the book brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars, from world figures in the study of globalization and social identity to young researchers, to provide a much needed theoretical clarification and empirical evidence of types of national identity shift. Table of ContentsIntroduction. Concepts and Theories. Fluid or Frozen? Choice and Change in Ethno-National Identification in Contemporary Northern Ireland. The Social Map: Cohesion, Conflict and National Identity. The Increasing Monopolization of Identity by the State: The Case of the UK and the US. When Politics and Social Theory Converge: Group Identification and Group Rights in Northern Ireland. The Role of the State. After 1989, Who are the Czechs? Subjective National Identities in Catalonia. 'Dollar Diplomacy': Globalization, Identity Change and Peace in Israel. Economic Integration and National Identity in Mexico. Majority-Minority Conflicts and their Resolution: Protestant Minorities in France and in Ireland. Processes and Experiences of National Identity Change. Basque Militant Youths in France: New Experiences of Ethnonational Identity in the European Context. Race, Religion and Identity in South Africa: A Case Study of a Charismatic Congregation. Being English in North Wales: Immigration and the Immigrant Experience. Religion, Ethnicity and Group Identity: Irish Adolescent Views. Generations on the Border: Changes in Ethno-National Identity in the Irish Border Area.

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Book SynopsisThis original introduction to theories of nationalism uses wide-ranging case studies to question the relevance of those theories in contemporary world politics.Trade ReviewA major contribution to the growing literature on nations and nationalism. Seeking to look beyond the primordial/modernist debate and to expand the discussion beyond the boundaries of the state, Harris emphasizes that the functions performed by nationalism have changed over time. Harris's Nationalism is an imaginative treatment of an important subject, and full of insights. It should prove useful for both specialists and students alike. -- Sabrina P. Ramet, Norwegian University of Science & Technology This valuable work helps to stimulate our inquiry on nationalism in terms of wider-ranging research (past, present, future), and ... provides important insights to search for new perceptions and definitions in exploring the relationship between nationalism and democracy in our world. -- N. P. Sreejesh, Jawaharlal Nehru University Political Studies Review A major contribution to the growing literature on nations and nationalism. Seeking to look beyond the primordial/modernist debate and to expand the discussion beyond the boundaries of the state, Harris emphasizes that the functions performed by nationalism have changed over time. Harris's Nationalism is an imaginative treatment of an important subject, and full of insights. It should prove useful for both specialists and students alike. This valuable work helps to stimulate our inquiry on nationalism in terms of wider-ranging research (past, present, future), and ... provides important insights to search for new perceptions and definitions in exploring the relationship between nationalism and democracy in our world.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Section One: Nationalism from an Historical Perspective; 1. Ideological Foundations of Nations and Nationalism; 2. Theories of Nation and Nationalism; Section Two: Contemporary Debates about Nationalism and Cultural Identities; 3. A Multinational Condition and the Rights of Minorities; 4. The Fall and the Rise: Post-Communism and Nationalism; 5. Ethnic Violence; 6. Imagining 'the Nation' Beyond the State; Section Three: Assessing Theories of Nationalism; 7. The Nation in International Relations; Conclusion: New Questions and Old Answers?; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisNationalism has become a key area of political theory over recent years, with a huge expansion in the amount of literature available. Yet there are very few Readers which bring together the best and most representative of these works in one volume. This Reader includes both the core texts in the area which are required for any course on nationalism, and a selection of more interesting, less mainstream pieces - for example from post-communism and feminism, and debates which have taken place over issues such as citizenship, migration and asylum - with the aim of engaging the reader with some of the contemporary debates which have reconfigured our understanding of nationalism.The overall aim of the Reader is to allow students to draw together and relate theories and debates within and across a range of disciplines, illuminating themes and issues of central importance in both historical and contemporary contexts, and showing how nationalism has evolved and has impacted upon and interacted with other political and social forms and forces.Following a substantial introduction which provides the historical background, the Reader is divided into six sections: (1) The Origins of Nationalism; (2) Approaches to Nationalism; (3) Differentiating Nationalism ? Nationalism, Racism, Ethnicity; (4) Forms of Nationalism; (5) National Self-Determination and Nationalist Mobilisation; (6) Globalisation, Citizenship and Nationalism.Key Features:? Offers a mix of traditional texts from classic writers such as Gellner, Smith, Anderson and Breuilly and more innovative readings from fields such as post-communism and feminism? Covers topical debates surrounding citizenship, self-determination, and migration? The introduction provides the necessary historical background for understanding recent debates and places the contributions in their immediate context? Clear guidance for further reading is given at the end of each sectionTrade ReviewThere is definitely a need for a reader such as this one to gather these materials and to influence the way these matters are presented in the classroom. I very much like the idea of pairing theoretical (classic and contemporary) with historical material. -- Professor Lisa Disch, University of Minnesota The authors are well established in the field and have contributed to the debate on nationalism. They are familiar with the rapidly growing literature and are thus well placed to produce a representative sample for a text such as this. -- Professor Brian Girvin, University of Glasgow There is definitely a need for a reader such as this one to gather these materials and to influence the way these matters are presented in the classroom. I very much like the idea of pairing theoretical (classic and contemporary) with historical material. The authors are well established in the field and have contributed to the debate on nationalism. They are familiar with the rapidly growing literature and are thus well placed to produce a representative sample for a text such as this.Table of ContentsIntroduction; I THE ORIGINS OF NATIONALISM; 1. Anthony Smith Ethno-symbolism and the Study of Nationalism; 2. Adrian Hastings The Construction of Nationhood; 3. Ernest Gellner Nationalism and modernity; 4. Benedict Anderson Imagined Communities; 5. John Breuilly Nationalism and the State; Further Reading; II APPROACHES TO NATIONALISM; 6. Andrew Vincent. Liberal Nationalism - An Irresponsible Compound?; 7. Erica Benner Really Existing Nationalisms - A Post-Communist View from Marx and Engels; 8. Joane Nagel Masculinity and Nationalism: Gender and Sexuality in the Making of Nations; Further Reading;; III DIFFERENTIATING NATIONALISM - NATIONALISM, RACISM, ETHNICITY; 9. Thomas Eriksen Ethnicity and Nationalism; 10. Paul Gilroy Between Camps; 11. Etienne Balibar Racism and Nationalism; Further Reading; IV FORMS OF NATIONALISM; 12. Anthony Smith Civic and Ethnic Nationalism; 13. Michael Billig Banal Nationalism; 14. Philip Spencer and Howard Wollman Good and Bad Nationalisms; Further Reading; V NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION AND NATIONALIST MOBILISATION; 15. Margaret Moore On National Self-Determination; 16. Partha Chatterjee Whose Imagined Community?; 17. Dominic Thomas Constructing National and Cultural Identities in Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa; 18. Mark Beissinger How Nationalisms Spread: Eastern Europe Adrift the Tides and Cycles of Nationalist Contention; Further Reading; VI GLOBALIZATION, CITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALISM;; 19. Michael Mann Has globalization ended the rise and rise of the nation-state?; 20. Stephen Castles Citizenship and the Other in the Age of Migration; 21. David Held Culture and Political Community: National, Global and Cosmopolitan; Further Reading.

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Book SynopsisAddresses issues of national identity and nationalism in Scotland from a political and linguistic perspective.Trade ReviewA clear, precise, observant, politically nuanced analysis of the many different kinds of nationalism and national identity in Scotland, the ways they are expressed and the political behaviour to which they give rise. This book is a treat, and an education too. -- Murray Pittock, author of The Road to Independence? Leith and Soule's work, given how solitary it is on the market, will prove most important in the next few years when it is assumed the campaign for an independent Scotland will accelerate. British Politics and Policy at LSE Blog A clear, precise, observant, politically nuanced analysis of the many different kinds of nationalism and national identity in Scotland, the ways they are expressed and the political behaviour to which they give rise. This book is a treat, and an education too. Leith and Soule's work, given how solitary it is on the market, will prove most important in the next few years when it is assumed the campaign for an independent Scotland will accelerate.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Preface 4 Chapter 1: Whose nationalism is it anyway? 7 Chapter 2: The Politics of Contemporary Scottish Nationalism 29 Chapter 3: The changing sense of Scotland: the political employment of national identity 62 Chapter 4: Nationalism's metaphor: the discourse and grammar of national personification 97 Chapter 5: Mass Perceptions of National Identity: Evidence from Survey Data 128 Chapter 6: Narratives of identity: Locating national identity in the publics' discourse 151 Chapter 7: The Scottish Political Elite View of National Identity 181 Chapter 8: (Re)describing Scottish national identity 210 References 234 Appendix 252

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Book SynopsisCombining a theoretical overview with empirical evidence, this textbook analyses and compares nationalism in Western and Eastern Europe. Split into three parts, it first discusses a wide variety of theoretical perspectives, including the controversial issue of theoretical dichotomy (civic versus ethnic nationalism). The second part argues variously that nationalism is an ideology, a social movement and an attitude, and applies these to sub-state and central-state nationalism. The final part looks at European nationalism in practice, offering new empirical findings from both in-depth single country cases and cross-country comparisons.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I: The Nation: Introduction; 1. The Nation: Which kind of political community?; 2. The Ethnic Nation; 3. The Civic Nation; 4. Alternative approaches; 5. Primordial phenomenon or modern phenomenon?; 6. Denationalisation through globalisation?; Part II: Nationalism: Definitions and functions; Introduction; 7. Macro-nationalism: Nationalism as ideology; 8. Meso-nationalism as social movement; 9. Micro-nationalism as attitude; 10. Typologies of nationalism; 11. Nationalism: good or evil? Liberal versus illiberal nationalism; Part III: European Nationalism in Practice; 12. Western Europe; 13. Central and Eastern Europe; 14. Nationalism and European integration; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis introduction to the vast and complex research on the subject of nation and nationalism in Europe systematically reviews and critically assesses the existing research. Introducing readers to the major controversies involved, the authors explore their own ideas on the nation and nationalism and discuss the research in the empirical context of selected case studies.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I: The Nation: Introduction; 1. The Nation: Which kind of political community?; 2. The Ethnic Nation; 3. The Civic Nation; 4. Alternative approaches; 5. Primordial phenomenon or modern phenomenon?; 6. Denationalisation through globalisation?; Part II: Nationalism: Definitions and functions; Introduction; 7. Macro-nationalism: Nationalism as ideology; 8. Meso-nationalism as social movement; 9. Micro-nationalism as attitude; 10. Typologies of nationalism; 11. Nationalism: good or evil? Liberal versus illiberal nationalism; Part III: European Nationalism in Practice; 12. Western Europe; 13. Central and Eastern Europe; 14. Nationalism and European integration; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisCombining political theory and sociological interviews spanning four countries, Ilan Zvi Baron explores the Jewish Diaspora/Israel relationship and suggests that instead of looking at Diaspora Jews'' relationship with Israel as a matter of loyalty, it is one of obligation. Baron develops an outline for a theory of transnational political obligation and, in the process, provides an alternative way to understand and explore the Diaspora/Israel relationship than one mired in partisan debates about whether or not being a good Jew means supporting Israel. He concludes by arguing that critique of Israel is not just about Israeli policy, but about what it means to be a Diaspora Jew.Trade Review"The book presents an impressive multidisciplinary approach which includes, among others, a critical reading of the philosophical literature on political obligation, an analysis of Arendt and Foucault on power and identity, an engagement with the burgeoning transnationalism literature in international relations (IR) and ethnographic interviews with Jews in North America, Europe and Israel." --Lior Erez, University of Cambridge, Political Studies Review

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Book SynopsisKübra Zeynep Sariaslan is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK. She previously worked as a lecturer at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and she received her PhD from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Continuity of the Gender Regime Genealogy of a Rhetoric: Empowerment Culturalist Foundations of Progress Times of Hope: Context of the Research An Ethnography of Women’s Praxis: Notes on Methods Organisation of the Book PART I – THE ‘SECOND’ HOME: Defining Women’s Place 1. Creating Public(s) in (Re)public(s) Kemalist Vision of Emancipation: Girls’ Institutes GAP’s Vision of Empowerment: Multi-Purpose Community Centres Erdogan’s Vision of Rehabilitation: Family Support Centres 2. Alternative Opportunities Meanings of Education through Life Stories Halime: “I am not interested” Aylin: “I have bigger dreams” Breadwinner Housewives Becoming Professionals: Ilknur and Tugba Dreams of Entrepreneurship Part II – EMPTY GESTURES: Politics and Expansion of the Party 3. Streams in Mainstreaming ‘Add-Women-and-Stir’ Tourism A Non-Position in Local Bureaucracy: Mrs. Governor “Rowing Against Tsunami” 4. Participation without Us Efsun’s Disappointment: Politics without Critique Sibel’s Objection to Family: Symbolic Representation in AKP Expansion of Government in Women’s Praxis: Multiple Belongings, Conflicting Statements Part III – ONE NEEDLE MANY THREADS: Self-Making Through Women’s Praxis 5. A Project of One’s Own Selectively Available Funds A Leader Woman: Life and Words of Aliye Resisting Male Resistance 6. Building Awareness “Burning Anger” Differences Negotiated (or Not) Hazal’s Pieces: Afterlife of Workshops Conclusion

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Book SynopsisExplores the militarisation of education and youth in contemporary China

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Book SynopsisThis analytical introduction assesses contrasting definitions of black nationalism in America, thereby providing an overview of its development and varied manifestations across two centuries.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on extensive research in transnationalism and ethnic conflict around the world, Taras re-evaluates the concepts of nation and nationalism in light of the major demographic changes brought about by global migration. He puts forward a new definition of nationhood that sets it apart from national identity, nationalism and diversity.

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Book SynopsisCamelia Suleiman delves into these tensions and contradictions, exploring how language policy and language choice both reflect and challenge political identities of Arabs and Israelis.

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Book SynopsisWhy do we assign nationalities to philosophies? Building on Jacques Derrida's unpublished seminars on philosophical nationalism, Oisin Keohane claims that national philosophies are a variant of some form of cosmo-nationalism: a strain of nationalism that uses, rather than opposes, ideas in cosmopolitanism to advance the aims of one nation.

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Book SynopsisWhy do we assign nationalities to philosophies? Building on Jacques Derrida's unpublished seminars on philosophical nationalism, Oisin Keohane claims that national philosophies are a variant of some form of cosmo-nationalism: a strain of nationalism that uses, rather than opposes, ideas in cosmopolitanism to advance the aims of one nation.

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Book SynopsisThis book situates the evolution of citizenship at the centre of state formation under the quasi-colonial mandate administration in Palestine.

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Book SynopsisDavid Torrance combines nationalist theory with empirical historical and archival research to reassess the relationship between 'nationalism' and 'unionism' in Scottish politics, challenging a binary reading of the two ideologies with the concept of 'nationalist unionism'.

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Book SynopsisMathew Whiting explores Irish republicanism's transformation from violence to political power. He examines their electoral participation and engagement in democratic bargaining, the role of Irish-America and British government policy to argue that moderation was a long-term process of concessions in return for increased political inclusion.

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Book SynopsisExplores the cultural and political significance of the election of President TrumpDonald J. Trump?s presidency has delivered a seismic shock to the American political system, its public sphere, and to our political culture worldwide. Written by leading scholars across a range of disciplines, as well as professionals in the field of political journalism, this collection of essays offers a deeper understanding of Trump and the impact that his rise to power has had both domestically and worldwide.The first section provides varied perspectives on the realignments of political culture in the United States that signify a paradigm shift, a radical disruption of fundamental beliefs and values about the political process and national identity. The second section of the book focuses on US foreign policy and diplomacy, taking stock of how the Trump presidency has disturbed the international system and US primacy within it. The third section of the book addresses the dynamics and consequences of what has come to be called post-truth politics, where conviction surpasses facts and the norms of political communication have been profoundly disrupted. Liam Kennedy is Professor of American Studies and Director of the Clinton Institute for American Studies at University College Dublin.

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Book SynopsisHardship is now equated with victimhood. Outward displays of vulnerability in defeat are celebrated over winning unabashedly. The pursuit of excellence and exceptionalism are at the heart of American identity, and the disappearance of these ideals in our country leaves a deep moral and cultural vacuum in its wake. But the solution isn't to simply complain about it. It's to revive a new cultural movement in America that puts excellence first again.Leaders have called Ramaswamy "the most compelling conservative voice in the country" and "one of the towering intellects in America," and this book reveals why: he spares neither left nor right in this scathing indictment of the victimhood culture at the heart of America's national decline. In this national bestseller, Ramaswamy explains that we're a nation of victims now. It's one of the few things we still have left in common-across black victims, white victims, liberal victims, and conservative victims. Victims of each other, and ultimately, of ourselves.This fearless, provocative book is for readers who dare to look in the mirror and question their most sacred assumptions about who we are and how we got here. Intricately tracing history from the fall of Rome to the rise of America, weaving Western philosophy with Eastern theology in ways that moved Jefferson and Adams centuries ago, this book describes the rise and the fall of the American experiment itself-and hopefully its reincarnation.Now updated with a new foreword from the author.

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Book SynopsisImproving readers' understanding of the connection between human agents of history and the environment in which their historical mission is played out.

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Book SynopsisAN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “I find myself thinking deeply about what it means to love America, as I surely do.” —Dan Rather“A tonic for our times . . . Rather's writing shows why he has won the admiration of a new generation. In these essays, he gives voice to the marginalized and rips off the journalistic shield of objectivity to ring the alarm bell when he witnesses actions he fears undermine the principles of American democracy. That, undoubtedly, is patriotic. And it takes courage.” —USA Today At a moment of crisis over our national identity, venerated journalist Dan Rather has emerged as a voice of reason and integrity, reflecting on—and writing passionately about—what it means to be an American. Now, with this collection of original essays, he reminds us of the principles upon which the United States was founded. Looking at the freedoms that define us, from the vote to the press; the values that have transformed us, from empathy to inclusion to service; the institutions that sustain us, such as public education; and the traits that helped form our young country, such as the audacity to take on daunting challenges in science and medicine, Rather brings to bear his decades of experience on the frontlines of the world’s biggest stories. As a living witness to historical change, he offers up an intimate view of history, tracing where we have been in order to help us chart a way forward and heal our bitter divisions. With a fundamental sense of hope, What Unites Us is the book to inspire conversation and listening, and to remind us all how we are, finally, one.Trade Review“A tonic for our times . . . Rather's writing shows why he has won the admiration of a new generation. In these essays, he gives voice to the marginalized and rips off the journalistic shield of objectivity to ring the alarm bell when he witnesses actions he fears undermine the principles of American democracy. That, undoubtedly, is patriotic. And it takes courage.” —USA Today “[A] much-needed collection of essays from Rather on American values, from the importance of empathy, inclusion and service to the qualities that helped found the nation.”—New York Post (Required Reading) “One of American’s most trusted voices . . . reminds us what’s great about this country in a time of unprecedented polarization.” —Entertainment Weekly “What Unites Us . . . stirringly melds memoir with a meditation on American values, including patriotism, inclusion and dissent.”—CNN.com “Interweaving sweet personal stories with history, [Rather] makes a simple, compelling case for America . . . a clear-eyed love letter to USA. A tonic for disaffected millennials and conservative grandpas alike.” —People (Book of the Week) “From his vantage point as one of this country’s most revered broadcasters, Rather analyzes the current state of disconnected discourse in a series of reflective essays that go to the heart of what it means to be an American.” —Booklist (starred review) "What Unites Us is at times almost unbearably poignant. Yet Rather’s words provide a sort of salve—and clear thinking about how to recover from these ugly times. What Unites Us is a passionate treatise on preserving the best of America and letting go of that which makes us weaker.”—BookPage “If everyone could adopt the measured tone of Rather . . . you begin to feel that political chasms could be crossed . . . Rather implores you to step back into the world with compassion and gumption, global existential crises be damned.”—Austin Chronicle “[A]n essential read for anyone swept up in the current national conversation.”—TimeOut.com “A full-throated celebration of the national spirit and its potential to persevere.” —Kirkus Reviews “Provides a pleasant alternative to the reliance on vitriol and irony in modern political discourse . . . Rather has issued a stirring call for overcoming today’s strident partisanship.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisDiscussions of the Arab world, particularly the Gulf States, increasingly focus on sectarianism and autocratic rule. These features are often attributed to the dominance of monarchs, Islamists, oil, and ‘ancient hatreds’. To understand their rise, however, one has to turn to a largely forgotten but decisive episode with far-reaching repercussions – Bahrain under British colonial rule in the early twentieth century. Drawing on a wealth of previously unexamined Arabic literature as well as British archives, Omar AlShehabi details how sectarianism emerged as a modern phenomenon in Bahrain. He shows how absolutist rule was born in the Gulf, under the tutelage of the British Raj, to counter nationalist and anti-colonial movements tied to the al-Nahda renaissance in the wider Arab world. A groundbreaking work, Contested Modernity challenges us to reconsider not only how we see the Gulf but the Middle East as a whole.Trade Review‘AlShehabi’s book is important in several respects. First, it contributes to historicize the ethnosectarian categories that both scholars and social actors use when trying to make sense of contemporary Bahraini society and politics… It underlines how much Bahraini ethnosectarianism, before becoming a political practice, was first a form of colonial knowledge that different actors contested but also espoused, often strategically. The book is also important politically…because it proposes a scientific reading of Bahraini history in a context where history has been hyper-politicized, and thus often distorted, by local actors seeking to substantiate their respective positions in the hierarchy of power.’ * Politics, Religion & Ideology *‘This is a crucial corrective to misleading and injurious narratives about the perpetually “sectarian” Gulf and its people. Credit to AlShehabi for historicizing the interrelated problems of sectarianism and colonialism in modern Bahrain, the Gulf region, and the wider Arab world.’ -- Ussama Makdisi, Professor of History, Rice University‘With great ambition, rich empirical detail and theoretical nuance, this book successfully sets out to rewrite the history of modern Bahrain… essential reading for anyone who wants to understand Bahraini history, the modern politics of the Gulf and the rise of sectarianism in the Middle East.’ -- Toby Dodge, Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics‘AlShehabi offers an insightful and a fresh perspective that challenges dominant narratives on contemporary sectarian politics in Bahrain and the other states of the Arabian Gulf. While situating the Arab Gulf countries within mainstream debates on Arab al-Nahda, the book provides well-argued analyses of the Gulf-specific colonial experiences and the colonial roots of “the modernized absolutist rule” in the region.’ -- Abdulhadi Khalaf, Professor of Sociology, Lund University‘Written by one of the most astute scholars of the contemporary Gulf, this book presents an authoritative critique of the “ethnosectarian gaze” so often used in writing and thinking about Bahrain. Grounded in meticulous archival research and a fascinating retelling of Bahraini history, the book provides a wide range of fresh and compelling insights into debates around nationalism, identity, colonialism, and the production of knowledge. An indispensable work that breaks new ground in Middle East scholarship.’ -- Adam Hanieh, Reader in Development Studies, SOAS, and author of Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle EastTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: Approaching Absolutism, Nationalism, and Sectarianism in the Gulf 1 The Ethnosectarian Gaze and Divided Rule 2 Politics and Society Before Divided Rule, 1783–1900 3 Al-Nahda in Bahrain, 1875–1920 4 Contesting Divided Rule, 1900–1920 5 ‘Fitnah’: Ethnosectarianism Meets al-Nahda, 1921–1923 Postscript: The Rise of Absolutism and Nationalism, 1923–1979 Conclusion: State and Society Between Sectarianism and Nationalism Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. It is also the parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Prime Minister Modi was himself a career RSS office-holder, or pracharak. This book explores how the RSS and its affiliates have benefitted from India's economic development and concurrent social dislocation, with rapid modernisation creating a sense of rootlessness, disrupting traditional hierarchies, and attracting many upwardly mobile groups to the organisation. India seems more willing than ever to accept the RSS's narrative of Hindu nationalism–--one that seeks to assimilate Hindus into a common identity representing true 'Indianness'. Yet the RSS has also come to resemble 'the Congress system', with a socially diverse membership containing a distinct left, right and centre. The organisation's most significant dilemma is how to reconcile the assault from its far right on cultural issues like cow protection with condemnations of globalisation from the left flank. Andersen and Damle offer an essential account of the RSS's rapid rise in recent decades, tracing how it has evolved in response to economic liberalisation and assessing its long-term impact on Indian politics and society.Trade Review'Readers get a valuable guide to the recent success of the RSS in permeating virtually every field of Indian life … Probably the most revealing and prescient insight [is] how far Hindutva feels threatened by seccessionist movements in Muslim-majority Kashmir and the Christian-majority Northeast.' -- Times Literary Supplement‘This is an important and quite detailed account of how the intellectual super-structure of Modi’s government works, and where one can expect tensions in the future … it will be hard to find a better telling of this story.’ -- Survival: Global Politics and Strategy‘This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on Hindutva politics.' -- Commonwealth & Comparative Politics'A manual on the functioning of the RSS over the last three decades … It allows the critical reader to understand what the RSS wants the people to think of it. And it, though perhaps not unwittingly, brings to the fore the contradictions between what the organisation professes it is or what it wants to be, and what it actually is.' -- Financial Express'Walter Andersen is, perhaps, the only scholar to have observed, or studied, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for nearly five decades.' -- The Indian Express'While not saying so explicitly, the book captures a fundamental aspect of the RSS: the focus on the long-term goal of Hindu consolidation while maintaining tactical flexibility.' -- The Hindu'Possibly the most interesting chapter is on the debate within the Sangh Parivar on “Economic Self-Sufficiency”. The conflict between the BJP’s ideas of global capitalism and the more socialist and India-centric notions of the RSS and its trade unions and affiliates is laid out for the reader, with examples of back and forth negotiations and compromises.' -- The Hindustan Times

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Book SynopsisNostalgia has become a major force in global politics. While Donald Trump hopes to ‘make America great again’, Xi Jinping calls for a ‘great rejuvenation of the Chinese people’, and a majority of Russians still mourn the Soviet Union. But it is Brexit, with its idealisation of a bygone era of full sovereignty, that epitomises nostalgic nationalism in its purest form. Despite its romantic flavour, nostalgia is a malaise—a combination of paranoia and melancholy that idealises the past, while denigrating the present. This epidemic of mythicising national history is shaping politics in risky ways, fuelled by ageing populations, shifts in the global order, and technological disruption. When deployed in the political debate, collective nostalgia is used as an emotional weapon, capable of mobilising a nation towards illusory goals. Drawing on psychology, political science, history and popular culture, Anglo Nostalgia analyses the rapid spread of this global phenomenon, before focusing on Brexit as a case study. With the detachment of informed outsiders, Campanella and Dassù expose nostalgia’s great danger: the oversimplification of reality, leading to unprecedented political miscalculations and rising geopolitical tensions.Trade Review'[Trump's] mindset is well described in 'Anglo Nostalgia' by Edoardo Campanella and Marta Dassù. Start with an idealised view of the past, stir in the paranoia beloved of populists everywhere and, hey presto, you have the nostalgic nationalism that is his foreign policy.' * Financial Times *'concise and thought-provoking' -- CHOICE‘['Anglo Nostalgia'] is not only a fascinating book, but also a pioneering one.’ -- International Affairs'We troublesome Anglo-Saxons should be grateful that two Italian scholars have made such a penetrating, stimulating critique of the nostalgia underlying Brexit, and its wider context in a fractured West.' -- Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies, Oxford University'Nostalgic nationalism is a powerful concept for understanding current political trends around the world. This important book reveals its significance in today's world. Whether you want to understand Britain or China, the United States or Russia, Turkey or India, Campanella and Dassu's ideas have great force.' -- Lawrence H. Summers, President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University'Of the many important facts of modern life that standard economic models have struggled to capture, the rise of nostalgic nationalism might just turn out be the most important. Campanella and Dassu could not have chosen a better time to start filling in the gaps.' -- Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor for Economics, Bloomberg News'The past is the new future. In this thoughtful, original and elegantly argued book, two leading European intellectuals have used the case of the United Kingdom to show that modernity's obsession with the future is dead: nostalgic nationalism is the power that shapes global politics today.' -- Ivan Krastev, Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies, and author of 'Democracy Disrupted''This fascinating and convincing book shows how a new flavour of nationalism--nostalgia for a simpler world--has led to the current global dysfunction, from Trump to Brexit. An essentially important guide that everyone should read.' -- Walter Isaacson, Professor of History, Tulane University, and author of 'Leonardo da Vinci' and 'Steve Jobs'

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Book SynopsisSindhi nationalism is one of the oldest yet least studied cases of identity politics in Pakistan. Ethnic discontent appeared in Sindh in opposition to the rule of the Bombay presidency; to the onslaught of Punjabi settlers in the wake of canal irrigation; and, most decisively, to the arrival of millions of Muhajirs (Urdu-speaking migrants) after Partition. Under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari, the Pakistan Peoples Party has upheld the Sindhi nationalist cause, even while playing the game of federalist politics. On the other side for half a century have been hardcore Sindhi nationalist groups, led by Marxists, provincial autonomists, landlord 'pirs' and liberal intelligentsia in pursuit of ethnic outbidding. This book narrates the story of the Bhutto dynasty, the Muhajir factor, nationalist ideologues, factional feuds amongst landed elites, and the role of violence as a maker and shaper of Sindhi nationalism. Moreover, it examines the role of the PPP as an ethnic entrepreneur through an analysis of its politics within the electoral arena and beyond. Bringing together extensive fieldwork and comparative studies of ethno-nationalism, both within and outside Pakistan, Asma Faiz uncovers the fascinating world of Sindhi nationalism.Trade Review'Through its detailed and multi-level analysis, 'In Search of Lost Glory'... deepens knowledge about Sindh and Pakistan. As such, it is a welcome addition to an ever-increasingly diverse array of scholarship in Pakistan Studies.' -- Bloomsbury Pakistan'A valuable addition to political science literature on ethnic studies [that] sets a good precedent to probe the political aspects of the nationalist discourse.' -- Dawn'In Search of Lost Glory is a comprehensive, all-encompassing take on Sindhi nationalism in the colonial and post-colonial eras. An excellent source of scholarship, it will be of interest to academics, students and the general public alike. Original, compelling and ambitious.' -- Farhan Siddiqi, Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, and author of 'The Politics of Ethnicity in Pakistan: The Baloch, Sindhi and Mohajir Ethnic Movements''A well-researched and impartial account of Sindhi cultural politics, from the colonial period till today. Borrowing insights from political science, historiography and anthropology, this book is required reading for everyone interested in the recent history of Sindh and Pakistan.' -- Oskar Verkaaik, Assistant Professor, Research Center for Religion and Society, University of Amsterdam, and author of 'A People of Migrants: Ethnicity, State, and Religion in Karachi''In Search of Lost Glory is an excellent analysis of Pakistan's governance structures and the agency of ethnic nationalism in Sindh. The book's multi-level approach makes it a significant contribution to both the study of Sindh and Pakistan.' -- Matthew A. Cook, Professor of South Asian and Postcolonial Studies, North Carolina Central University'A definitive contribution to the field of ethnicity, it is objective and insightful in explaining the historical and social roots of conflicting identities, violence and contestation for power in Sindh. An intense and rich intellectual engagement--a first of its kind.' -- Rasul Bakhsh Rais, Professor of Political Science, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and editor of 'State, Society and Democratic Change in Pakistan'

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Book SynopsisIn the twenty-first century, there has been a seismic shift in Indian political, religious and social life. The country's guiding spirit was formerly a fusion of the anti-caste worldview of B.R. Ambedkar; the inclusive Hinduism of Mahatma Gandhi; and the agnostic secularism of Jawaharlal Nehru. Today, that fusion has given way to Hindutva. This now-dominant version of Hinduism blends the militant nationalism of V.D. Savarkar; the Brahmanical anti-minorityism of M.S. Golwalkar; and the global Islamophobia of India's ruling regime. It requires deep cultural analysis and historical understanding, as only the sharpest and most profoundly informed historian can provide. For two decades, Tanika Sarkar has forged a path through the alleys and byways of Hindutva. She has trawled through the writing and iconography of its organisations and institutions, including RSS schools and VHP temples. She has visited the offices and homes of Hindutva's votaries, interviewing men and women who believe fervently in their mission of Hinduising India. And she has contextualised this new ferment on the ground with her formidable archival knowledge of Hindutva's origins and development over 150 years, from Bankimchandra to the Babri mosque and beyond. This riveting book connects Hindu religious nationalism with the cultural politics of everyday India.Trade Review‘These essays form an acute and timely critique of changes that can affect us all.’ -- Asian Affairs‘Essential reading for anybody concerned with the rise and seeming dominance of Hindutva in India.’ -- Outlook India'Instructive, sobering, and full to bursting with little-known aspects of India's politics. Describing the living tradition of Hindutva using a rich set of archives, the book's greatest strength is Sarkar's depiction of the Hindu Right as a deeply intimate phenomenon.' -- Pallavi Raghavan, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Ashoka University, and author of Animosity at Bay: An Alternative History of the India-Pakistan Relationship'A brisk tour of the Hindu nationalist organisations at the forefront of the effort to turn India into a Hindu country. These essays are informative and persuasively argued, reflecting the years of painstaking fieldwork that went into them. Sarkar's prose is measured and eminently reasonable, pointing to Hindu nationalism's endless capacity to renew itself and adapt to its surroundings.' -- Pratinav Anil, co-author of India's First Dictatorship

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