Synopses & Reviews
Nationalism is pivotal to any understanding of contemporary politics, but our conception of it as a historical and contemporary phenomenon remains fragmentary and nebulous. In Nations, Identity, Power, George Schöpflin analyzes the contradictions inherent in our understanding of nationalism in order to fashion a new intellectual synthesis.
In particular he questions why nations in the West are able to live with the nation as the legitimate space for democratic institutions, whereas in the post-communist world, especially in Eastern Europe, ethnicity is preeminent. Schöpflin argues that the nation is simultaneously ethnic, civic and structured by the state. Hence the excesses of ethnicity derive from the shortcomings of state capacity and the weakness of civil society, rather than being an inherent evil. If ethnicity is alive and well, what is its role? Here again, his answer is challenging: ethnicity is one of the bases for consent to be ruled by the interventionist and rationalizing modern state.
With due sensitivity to the implicit, the symbolic, and the ways in which power is legitimized, Schöpflin applies his understanding of nationalism to various East and Central European case studies, including Yugoslavia and Hungary. He also compares the role of ethnicity in other states, including Britain.
Overcoming the limits of both liberal and Marxist paradigms, this novel and thought-provoking book brings us several steps closer to understanding the intricacies of the nation-state and the operation of identity politics in the modern world.
Review
Aa cornucopia of informed and detailed insight on the politics of identity. [...] Schöpflin's writing is lively and vigorous, if abrasive. Ethnicity, identity, nationalism and nationhood are intriguing topics for study and certainly inform European politics today. Schöpflin has provided a fascinating book that deals with these issues in a thought-provoking, original and insightful manner. It is a great piece of erudite scholarship, which one will return totime and again."-Times Higher Educational Supplement,
Review
"A pioneering piece of social history." -James Walvin,University of York
Review
"Stanley's reconstruction of the 'culture' of his officers and men--their careers, relationships, expectations, living conditions--is fascinating. Stanley writes clear, concise, and often witty English. After the jargon-ridden, polysyllabic obfuscation of so much 'new' history, his concern for his readers comes as a delightful relief." -Clive Dewey,University of Leicester
Synopsis
In the White Mutiny of 1859-61--the largest revolt the British army ever faced--European troops operating on behalf of the East India Company rebelled against their transfer to the service of the Queen of England. Through an analysis of the White Mutiny, Peter Stanley provides a portrait of emerging working-class consciousness among the troops and reveals how the British army, the preeminent icon of English imperialism, first maintained, then lost, control over a vast and generally hostile sub-continent.
In cantonment offices in Meerut and Calcutta, we find unimpaired the class distinctions and aspirations of contemporary Britain. Penetrating the hidden worlds of the barrack room and the officers' mess, White Mutiny demonstrates the intimate relationship between the military and the social history of British culture in India, and how awareness of each can enrich the other.
About the Author
George Schöpflin is Jean Monnet Professor of Politics and Director of the Centre for the Study of Nationalism, S. S. E. E. S., University of London. His books include Politics in Eastern Europe, 1945-1992 and Myths and Nationhood (1997).