Ernest Gellner: Nations and Nationalism

Nationalism is one of the most powerful forces in the modern world, yet also one of the least understood. Often it is seen as either a resurgence of primitive instincts or as a delusion fostered by a handful of theoreticians, politicians, or propagandists.
This thoughtful and penetrating book, however, , interprets nationalism in terms of its social roots, which it locates in industrial social organization. Professor Gellner asserts that a society's affluence and economic growth depend on innovation, occupational mobility, the effectiveness of the mass media, universal literacy, and an all embracing educational system based on a shared, standard idiom. These factors, taken together, govern the relationship between culture and the state. Political units that do not conform to the principle "one state, one culture" feel the strain in the form of nationalistic activity.
Gellner's searching analysis accounts for the contemporary strength of nationalism and explains its relative weakness in the past. While addressed to political scientists, sociologists, historians, and anthropologists, Nations and Nationalism should also appeal to anyone seriously concerned with human society today and in the years ahead.