Description
| Product ID: | 9781912127016 |
| Product Form: | Paperback / softback |
| Country of Manufacture: | GB |
| Series: | The Macat Library |
| Title: | An Analysis of Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities |
| Authors: | Author: Jason Xidias |
| Page Count: | 112 |
| Subjects: | Literary theory, Literary theory, History, Philosophy, Psychological theory, systems, schools and viewpoints, Study and learning skills: general, Political science and theory, History, Philosophy, Psychological theory & schools of thought, Study & learning skills: general, Political science & theory |
| Description: | Select Guide Rating Some people imagine that nationhood is as old as civilization itself, but Anderson argues that “nation” and “nationalism” are products of the communication technologies of the modern age. With the invention and spread of printing, local languages gradually replaced Latin as the language of print. Benedict Anderson’s 1983 masterpiece Imagined Communities is a ground-breaking analysis of the origins and meanings of “nations” and “nationalism”. A book that helped reshape the field of nationalism studies, Imagined Communities also shows the critical thinking skills of interpretation and analysis working at their highest levels. One crucial aspect of Anderson’s work involves the apparently simple act of defining precisely what we mean when we say ‘nation’ or ‘nationalism’ – an interpretative step that is vital to the analysis he proceeds to carry out. For Anderson, it is clear that nations are not ‘natural;’ as historians and anthropologists are well aware, nations as we understand them are a relatively modern phenomenon, dating back only as far as around 1500. But if this is the case, how can we agree what a ‘nation’ is? Anderson’s proposed definition is that they are “imagined communities” – comprising groups of people who regard themselves as belonging to the same community, even if they have never met, and have nothing in common otherwise. The analysis that follows from this insight is all about examining and breaking down the historical processes that helped foster these communities – above all the birth of printing, and the development of capitalism. Brilliantly incisive, Anderson’s analysis shows how good interpretative skills can form the foundations for compelling and original insight. |
| Imprint Name: | Macat International Limited |
| Publisher Name: | Macat International Limited |
| Country of Publication: | GB |
| Publishing Date: | 2017-07-04 |
