Nationalism and International Society

Whatismeantbyinternationalsociety?Onwhatprinciplesisthenotionofinternationalsocietybased?Howhasthenotionofnationalisminfluenceditsevolution?InthisbookJamesMayalladdressesthesequestionsandshedsimportantnewlightupontheissuesofnationandinternationalsocietybybringingtogethersubjectswhichhavehithertobeenexaminedseparately.Mayalllocateshisstudywithinatheoreticaldiscussionoftherelationshipbetweentheideasofnationalismandinternationalsociety,maintainingthatitisoneofchallengeandaccommodation.Hethenexploresthreecentralissues.First,themannerinwhichnationalismhascreatednewstatesandpushedtheboundariesofinternationalsocietyoutwards.Second,howtheconfrontationbetweennationalistandliberalideasaboutinternationaleconomicrelationshasimpelledstateactivitydownwardintothelivesofordinarypeopleandoutwardintotheinternationalpoliticaleconomy.Andthird,thewayThirdWorldnationalismhasreactedagainstthepostwarinternationaleconomicorderbuthasbeenunabletoalteritinitsfavour.Nationalismandinternationalsocietywillbeofinteresttospecialistsandstudentsofinternationalrelationswithspecialreferencetonationalismandsovereignty,andtomodernhistoriansofworldorder,decolonisationandeconomicnationalism.