Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism

by Benedict Anderson

Overview

This world-famous work on the origins and development of nationalism examines what drives people to live, die, and kill in the name of nations.

“One of the greatest.” —London Review of Books
“Anderson transformed the study of nationalism.” —The New York Times
“Boldly original.” —Guardian

The full magnitude of Benedict Anderson’s intellectual achievement is still being appreciated and debated. Imagined Communities remains the most influential book on the origins of nationalism, filling the vacuum that previously existed in the traditions of Western thought. Cited more often than any other single English-language work in the human sciences, it is read around the world in more than thirty translations.

Written with exemplary clarity, this illuminating study traces the emergence of community as an idea to South America, rather than to nineteenth-century Europe. Later, this sense of belonging was formed and reformulated at every level, from high politics to popular culture, through print, literature, maps and museums. Following the rise and conflict of nations and the decline of empires, Anderson draws on examples from South East Asia, Latin America and Europe’s recent past to show how nationalism shaped the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781844674848
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	11/17/2006
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	544,604
File size:	830 KB

About the Author

Benedict Anderson was Aaron L. Binenkorp Professor of International Studies Emeritus at Cornell University. He was Editor of the journal Indonesia and author of numerous books including A Life Beyond Boundaries, Java in a Time of Revolution, The Spectre of Comparisons: Nationalism, Southeast Asia, and the World and The Age of Globalization: Anarchists and the Anticolonial Imagination.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition xi

1 Introduction 1

2 Cultural Roots 9

3 The Origins of National Consciousness 37

4 Creole Pioneers 47

5 Old Languages, New Models 67

6 Official Nationalism and Imperialism 83

7 The Last Wave 113

8 Patriotism and Racism 141

9 The Angel of History 153

10 Census, Map, Museum 163

11 Memory and Forgetting 187

Travel and Traffic: On the Geo-biography of Imagined Communities 207

Bibliography 230

Index 234

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Sparkling, readable, densely packed." —-Peter Worsley, Guardian

Editorial Reviews

One of the greatest … deserves still to be central to our thinking about the world.”
—T. J. Clark, London Review of Books

“Anderson’s work stands as an inspiration not only to his students, his readers, and all those whose lives have been affected by his work, but also to all those who reject the false choice between politics and scholar¬ship, and who seek to live accordingly.”
—Nation

“Anderson transformed the study of nationalism … and was renowned not only for his theoretical contributions but also for his detailed examinations of language and power in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.”
—New York Times

“Far and away the most influential study of nationalism … As well-versed in novels and poetry as he was in scholarship, Anderson was an eloquent advocate for global culture.”
—Jeet Heer, New Republic

“Everything Anderson wrote was boldly original … He was never content to tell an audience what they wanted to hear.”
—Anthony Reid, Guardian

“This is a book to be owned and read, re-read, and treasured.”
—Academic Library Book Review

“Anderson’s knowledge of a vast range of relevant historical literature is most impressive; his presentation of the gist of it is both masterly and lucid.”
—Edmund Leach, New Statesman

“Everything Anderson wrote was boldly original … He was never content to tell an audience what they wanted to hear.”
—Anthony Reid, Guardian

“A brilliant little book.”
—Neal Ascherson, Observer

“Sparkling, readable, densely packed.”
—Peter Worsley, Guardian

From the Publisher

This is a book to be owned and read, re-read, and treasured.

Academic Library Book Review

Anderson’s knowledge of a vast range of relevant historical literature is most impressive; his presentation of the gist of it is both masterly and lucid.

Edmund Leach - New Statesman

A brilliant little book.

Neal Ascherson - Observer

Sparkling, readable, densely packed.

Peter Worsley - Guardian

A brilliant exegesis on nationalism.

Nation

Anderson’s knowledge of a vast range of relevant historical literature is most impressive; his presentation of the gist of it is both masterly and lucid.”— Edmund Leach

New Statesman

A brilliant little book.”— Neal Ascherson

Observer

Sparkling, readable, densely packed.”— Peter Worsley

Guardian

This classic work, published in 1991, focuses on nationalism and nation-state building throughout the world—from medieval times through the early modern period, especially, the eighteenth through the early twentieth century. Kevin Foley narrates in a straightforward manner, carefully enunciating each word. He delivers the complicated concepts slowly to allow listeners time to absorb Anderson’s ideas about community and nationalism. Foley’s flat accent is perfect for this international study despite his sometimes odd pronunciation of words. However, he makes no effort to alter his delivery when the author interjects his comments and personal reflections. As a result, this complex text is better suited to print than audio. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

MAY 2012 - AudioFile