Ethnonationalism

WalkerConnor,perhapstheleadingstudentoftheoriginsanddynamicsofethnonationalism,hasconsistentlystressedtheimportanceofitspoliticalimplications.Intheseessays,whichhaveappearedoverthecourseofthelastthreedecades,hearguesthatWesternscholarsandpolicymakershavealmostinvariablyunderratedtheinfluenceofethnonationalismandmisinterpreteditspassionateandnonrationalqualities.Severaloftheessayshavebecomeclassics:togethertheyrepresentarigorousandstimulatingattempttoestablishasecuremethodologicalfoundationforthestudyofacomplicatedphenomenonincreasingly,ifbelatedly,recognizedasthemajorcauseofglobalpoliticalinstability.Thebookopensbyreviewingawiderangeofscholarshiponethnonationalism.Connorexaminesnineteenth-andearlytwentieth-centurydebateamongBritishscholarsontheviabilityanddesirabilityofthemultinationalstate,theAmerican"nation-building"schoolofthoughtthatdominatedtheliteratureonpoliticaldevelopmentinthepost-WorldWarIIera,andtherecentexplosionofliteratureonethnonationalism.Inthesecondpartofthebook,heshowshowprogressinthestudyofethnonationalismhasbeenhamperedbyterminologicalconfusion,aninclinationtoperceivehomogeneityevenwhereheterogeneitythrives,anunwarrantedtendencytoseekexplanationforethnicconflictineconomicdifferentials,andlackofhistoricalperspective.Thebookcloseswithaconsiderationoftheinherentlimitationsofrationalinquiryintotherealmofgroup-identity.