Nationalism and modernism: a critical survey of recent theories of nations and nationalism

285 Pages·1998·0.99 MB·English

by  Prof Anthony D Smith

Nationalism and Modernism

In light of its remarkable resurgence in the last two decades, how do we explain
the continuing power of nationalism today? Why do so many people remain
attached to their nations? Are nations and nationalism recent phenomena, or
can we trace their roots far back in history?
These are some of the questions addressed in Anthony Smith’s thought-provoking
analysis of recent approaches and theories of nations and nationalism. In the
first part of his survey, Smith explores the varieties of ‘modernism’, the current
orthodoxy in the field, concentrating on the work of such seminal figures as
Gellner, Nairn, Giddens, Breuilly, Anderson and Hobsbawm. In the second part
he presents the critics of modernism and their alternatives, from the
primordialisms of van den Berghe and Geertz to the ethno-symbolic approaches
of Armstrong and Smith, as well as the contributions of, among others, Seton-
Watson, Greenfeld, Horowitz, Connor, Reynolds and Brass. The survey
concludes with a brief analysis of some ‘postmodern’ approaches to issues of
contemporary national identity, gender and nation, civic and ethnic nationalisms,
as well as supranationalism and globalisation.
The first comprehensive theoretical survey of the subject of nationalism for nearly
thirty years, Nationalism and Modernism provides a concise and balanced guide to
its often confusing debates, revealing a rich and complex field rent by deep
disagreements and rival paradigms. This work places nationalism firmly within
the arena of current political and cultural thought and paves the way to more
systematic and focused progress in this rapidly expanding field.
Anthony D.Smith is Professor of Ethnicity and Nationalism in the European
Institute at the London School of Economics. His previous publications include
Theories of Nationalism (1971, 1983), The Ethnic Origins of Nations (1986), National
Identity (1991) and Nations and Nationalism in a Global Era (1995).

Nationalism and
Modernism

A critical survey of recent theories of
nations and nationalism

Anthony D.Smith

London and New York
First published 1998
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.
© 1998 Anthony D.Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Smith, Anthony D.
Nationalism and modernism: a critical survey of recent theories of nations
and nationalism/Anthony D.Smith
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Nationalism. I. Title.
JC311.N5388 1998
320.54’01–dc21 98–18648
CIP
ISBN 0-203-16796-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-26302-2 (Adobe eReader Format)
0-415-06340-X (hbk)
0-415-06341-8 (pbk)
For my research students
from whom I have learnt so much

Contents

Preface x
Introduction: The modernist paradigm 1
The rise and decline of nationalism? 1
The rise and decline of modernism? 2
Aims and plan 5
1 The rise of classical modernism 8
The roots of classical modernism 9
The classical modernist paradigm of nationalism 18
PART I
Varieties of modernism 25
2 The culture of industrialism 27
‘Nation’ and ‘nationalism’ 29
Agroliterate and industrial societies 30
From ‘low’ to ‘high’ cultures 32
Nationalism and industrialism 35
Nationalism and ‘high cultures’ 37
Nationalism and public education 39
Nationalism and historical continuity 41
Nationalism and the ethnic past 45
3 Capitalism and nationalism 47
Imperialism and uneven development 49
Populism and romanticism 51
‘Nationalism-producing’ development? 53
The social base of nationalism 55
Internal colonialism 57
vii
viii Contents
Ethno-regionalism 61
Elite strategies of ‘rational choice’ 63
Interest and passion 66
4 State and nation 70
Sources of political modernism 70
The reflexive state 71
The nation beyond the state 73
Nations and the inter-state order 76
The state and war 79
A political theory of nationalism? 82
State and society: bridging the gulf? 84
Identity and politics 89
Intellectuals and nationalist ideology 91
Political modernism and ethnic history 92
Conclusion 94
5 Political messianism 97
‘Political religion’ 97
Marginal youth 99
The cult of the ‘dark gods’ 101
A millennial opiate 103
Colonialism and the intellectuals 106
Millennialism and progress 109
The religion of history 112
6 Invention and imagination 117
Inventing nations 117
Ethnic and civic nationalisms? 125
‘Proto-national’ bonds 127
The nation as construct? 129
Imagining the nation 131
An imagined community? 136
Print-capitalism and re-presentation 138
Mass self-sacrifice 140
PART II
Critics and alternatives 143
7 Primordialism and perennialism 145
Primordialism I: inclusive fitness 146
Contents ix
Primordialism II: cultural givens 151
The instrumentalist critique 153
Perennialism I: ethnic continuity 159
Perennialism II: perennial ethnicity, modem nations 161
The psychology of ethnic affiliation 165
The immemorial nation? 167
8 Ethno-symbolism 170
‘Old, continuous’ nations 170
Pre-modern nations? 173
Cultural and political nationalism 177
Myth-symbol complexes 181
A framework of national emergence 183
Culture and the border 185
‘Dual legitimation’ 187
Ethnies and ethno-symbolism 190
Origins and types of nation 193
Ethno-symbolism considered 196
9 Beyond modernism? 199
Polyethnicity, past and future 199
The post-national agenda 201
Fragmentation and hybrid identities 202
Gender and nation 205
Liberalism and civic or ethnic nationalism 210
Nationalism and globalisation 213
National identity and supra-nationalism 216
Beyond modernism? 218
Conclusion: problems, paradigms and prospects 221
Problems 221
Paradigms 222
Prospects 225
Notes 229
Bibliography 244
Index 264