Synopses & Reviews
Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson's brilliant book on nationalism, forged a new field of study when it first appeared in 1983. Since then it has sold over a quarter of a million copies and is widely considered the most important book on the subject. In this greatly anticipated revised edition, Anderson updates and elaborates on the core question: What makes people live and die for nations, as well as hate and kill in their name?
Anderson examines the creation and global spread of the 'imagined communities' of nationality, and explores the processes that created these communities: the territorialization of religious faiths, the decline of antique kingship, the interaction between capitalism and print, the development of secular languages-of-state, and changing conceptions of time and space. He shows how an originary nationalism born in the Americas was adopted by popular movements in Europe, by imperialist powers, and by the anti-imperialist resistances in Asia and Africa.
In a new afterword, Anderson examines the extraordinary influence of Imagined Communities: he also explores the book's international publication and reception, from its first publication towards the end of the Cold War era to the present day.
Review
"Sparkling, readable, densely packed." ---Peter Worsley, Guardian
Synopsis
The classic examination of nationalism from author Benedict Anderson, including a new afterword exploring the book's extraordinary influence, from its first publication in 1983 to the present day.
About the Author
Benedict Anderson is the Aaron L. Binenkorb Professor of International Studies Emeritus at Cornell University. He is the author of Language and Power: Exploring Political Cultures in Indonesia, The Spectre of Comparisons, and Under Three Flags: Anarchism and the Anti-Colonial Imagination. Norman Dietz is a writer, an actor, and a solo performer. Since 1962, he has toured coast to coast, presenting his work before audiences all over the United States and Canada. He is the author of the comic novel Nailing It, as well as Fables & Vaudevilles & Plays and The Lifeguard and the Mermaid, collections of his work for the stage. Norman has also performed frequently on radio and television, and he has recorded over 150 audiobooks, many of which have earned him awards from AudioFile magazine, the ALA, and Publishers Weekly. Additionally, AudioFile named Norman one of the Best Voices of the Century. He lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.