Description
Book SynopsisWritten in response to violent conflict in many of the former socialist countries and unease about European integration in the West, this informative and contemporary book presents a multi-sectoral assessment of the future of the nation state in Europe.
The 13 articles included in The Future of the Nation State in Europe offer a wide-ranging, insightful analysis by an international group of distinguished scholars who argue that the question of the nation state in Europe will remain one of the foremost issues confronting social scientists. Contributions by Paavo Vayrynen, Ernst Gellner, Aira Kemilainen and Jyrki Iivonen on the concept of ‘nation state’ and its definition, are followed by two historical articles by Giovanni Arrighi and Erik Allardt, the former discussing the development of historical capitalism while the later connects the question of the nation state to different forms of technology. Later essays deal with various contexts of the nation state, including articles by Jaan Kaplinski on the future of national cultures in Europe, by Ali Kazancigil on the effects of unification on the national state, by Allan Rosas on the decline of sovereignty in international law and by Raimo Vayrynen on the relationship between territory and nation state. The volume concludes by examining the effects of regional changes on ethnic developments in Europe with articles by Thomas Henschel on German unification, Risto Alapuro on Russian civil society and Mate Szabo on East European Political development.
Offering perspectives drawn from history, sociology, anthropology, law and political science, this major volume will be welcomed by political scientists, commentators and all those concerned with questions of European statehood.
Table of ContentsPart 1 Concepts and definitions: introduction - nation states in Europe, Jyrki Iivonen; nation state - some basic concepts and definitions, Paavo Vayrynen; nationalism and the development of European societies, Ernest Gellner; patriotism and nationalism, Aira Kemilainen. Part 2 Historical processes: the three hegemonies of historical Capitalism, Giovanni Arrighi; the nation state and nationalism with different forms of technology, Erik Allardt. Part 3 Different contexts of nation state: the future of national cultures in Europe, Jaan Kaplinski; a prospective view on the European nation state and unification, Ali Kazancigil; the decline of sovereignty - legal perspectives, Allan Rosas; territory, nation state and nationalism, Raimo Vayrynen. Part 4 Regional processes: German national consciousness and the nation state, Thomas R. Henschel; civil society in Russia?, Risto Alapuro; nationalism, nation state and prospects of democratization in Eastern Europe, Mate Szabo.
