Summary

Nationalism is more than the most powerful political force in modern times. It is the very context of modern politics. As such it is ambiguous. It can serve as an incubator for democracy; conversely it can thwart the freedom of minority peoples. Here, Dr John Hutchinson delivers a rounded and eclectic survey of a vastly important subject.

First of all he reviews existing analyses, suggesting that the roots of nationalism are far older than is commonly acknowledged. 'Modern Nationalism' then examines nationalism and its challenges in four distinct contemporary settings: the Islamic revival in the Middle East; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the rise of the supra-national European Community; and the multi-cultural societies of the 'new world' - the USA, Canada and Australia.

While it may be appear as though nationalism and its attendant concept of the nation-state are past their zenith as all-power-ful ideas, Dr Hutchinson rejects the view that nationalism will simply wither away. Rather he concludes that because ethnicity is a strong and recurrent force throughout history, nationalism of one kind or another can only survive into the foreseeable future.