Ethno-Symbolism and Nationalism
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For more than four decades Anthony Smith has been intensely and productively investigating the nature, wellsprings, and ramifications of nationalism. This excellent and concise distillation of his principal findings and conclusions will prove of immense value to anyone interested in this most consequential phenomenon. Walker Connor, Middlebury College, USA Written with the clarity, sensitivity, and analytical nuance that have become hallmarks of Anthony Smith’s scholarship, this book presents a masterful distillation of the ethno-symbolist interpretation of nationalism – a school of thought that counts the author as its most influential founding father. In crisp and succinct prose, it presents a fair and balanced overview of the theoretical thrust-and-parry in the field of nationalism studies, while articu- lating a compelling defense of the ethno-symbolist approach against the attacks of its critics. Aviel Roshwald, Professor of History, Georgetown University, USA Anthony Smith has provided us with a conceptually powerful, clearly written statement of his life’s work devoted to the study of nationalism. By doing so, we have a compelling clarification of the nation as a historical community of culture. Thus, to view this book as merely a concise statement of the ethno- symbolic approach to the study of nations and nationalism is to fail to appreciate its significance; rather, it is a most convincing analysis of these crucially important phenomena – a book that must be read by all those who wish to understand these powerful factors that have shaped and are shaping our destiny. Steven Grosby, Professor of Religion, Clemson University, USA Ethno-symbolism and Nationalism Anthony D. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics, and is considered one of the founders of the interdisciplinary field of nationalism studies. Anthony Smith has developed an approach to the study of nations and nationalism called ethno-symbolism, which is concerned with the nature of ethnic groups and nations, and the need to consider their symbolic dimensions. This text provides a concise statement of an ethno-symbolic approach to the study of nations and nationalism and, at the same time, embodies a general statement of Anthony Smith’s contribution to this approach and its application to the central issues of nations and nationalism. The text: Sets out the theoretical background of the emergence of ethno-symbolism in a sustained and systematic argument. Explains its analysis of the formation of nations, their persistence and change and the role of nationalism. Demonstrates that an ethno-symbolic approach provides an important supplement and corrective to past and present intellectual orthodoxies in the field and addresses the main theoretical criticisms levelled at an ethno-symbolic approach. Drawing together and developing earlier brief resumes of Anthony Smith’s approach, this book represents a summary of the theoretical aspects of his work in the field since 1986. It will be useful to students and to all those who are interested in the issues raised by a study of ethnicity, nations and nationalism. Anthony D. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics, President of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) and Chief Editor of the journal Nations and Nationalism. He is the author of sixteen books and over 100 articles and chapters on nations, nationalism and ethnicity, and his books have been translated into twenty-one languages. Ethno-symbolism and Nationalism A cultural approach Anthony D. Smith First published 2009 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2009 Anthony D. Smith All rights reser ved. No part of this b ook may b e reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without per mission in wr iting from the publishers. British Librar y Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this b ook is available from the British Librar y Librar y of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Smith, Anthony D. Ethno-symbolism and nationalism: a cultural approach/ Anthony D. Smith. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Nationalism. 2. Ethnicity. I. Title. JC311.S5372 2009 320.54–dc22 2008051955 ISBN 0-203-87655-5 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10: 0-415-49798-1 ( hbk) ISBN10: 0-415-49795-7 ( pbk) ISBN10: 0-203-87655-5 (ebk) ISBN13: 978-0-415-49795-4 ( hbk) ISBN13: 978-0-415-49798-5 ( pbk) ISBN13: 978-0-203-87655-8 (ebk) Contents Acknowledgements viii Introduction 1 1 Perennialism and modernism 3 2 Basic themes of ethno-symbolism 23 3 The formation of nations 41 4 The role of nationalism 61 5 Persistence and transformation of nations 81 6 Pro et contra 105 Epilogue 133 Notes 137 Bibliography 159 Index 179 Acknowledgements During a life devoted to the study of nationalism, I have incurred many debts, to both students and scholars in the field. I would like to single out the many graduate and undergraduate students I have had the pleasure to teach, notably in the Nationalism and Ethnicity Workshop at LSE; their contributions have often forced me to rethink problems and amend positions taken. The same is true of various scholars working in the field, especially John Armstrong whose Nations before Nationalism (1982) has been a constant source of inspiration, and John Hutchinson whose Dynamics of Cultural Nationalism (1987) and Nations as Zones of Conflict (2005) have become seminal works, opening up new vistas in the exploration of the social and cultural foundations of nationalism. I would also like to express my admiration for the path-breaking work of Walker Connor and for the fine scholarly ana- lyses of Steven Grosby, especially in relation to the problem of nationality in antiquity. At the same time, I have drawn inspiration from the pioneering works of the ‘modernists’: Hans Kohn, Karl Deutsch, Elie Kedourie, Eric Hobsbawm, Benedict Anderson, John Breuilly, and especially my former supervisor, Ernest Gellner, whose theory of nationalism opened up the field to me as to so many others and whose example, despite my differences from them, remains a powerful influence on my own approach. It goes without saying that none of the above can be held responsible for the opinions expressed here, or for any errors or omissions. Anthony D. Smith London, 2008 Introduction The purpose of this book is to provide a concise statement of an ethno-symbolic approach to the study of nations and nationalism. It aims to set out the theoretical background of its emergence, its main assumptions and themes, and its analysis of the formation of nations, their persistence and change and the role of nationalism. At the same time, it embodies a general statement of my own contribution to this approach and its application to the central issues of nations and nationalism. ‘Ethno-symbolism’ does not pretend to be a scientific theory. Rather, it should be seen as a particular perspective on, and research programme for, the study of nations and nationalism. In fact, the term itself is accidental, arising as it did out of conversations at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the late 1980s about the nature of ethnic groups and nations, and the need to consider their symbolic dimensions. If labels should not be taken too seriously, hopefully the perspective may be found useful and salutary. As I aim to show, an ethno-symbolic approach provides an important supplement and corrective to past and present intellectual orthodoxies in the field. It is a supplement because it aims to ‘fill out’ the narrative of the ‘modernists’. It acts as a corrective because, in doing so, it necessarily disputes and seeks to amend several of their arguments, as it does those of their ‘per- ennialist’ opponents. While it offers an alternative paradigm of study, ethno-symbolism does not propose a novel theory. This is because, in a field so vast and complex as that of nations and nationalism, the chances of doing so in a convincing manner are necessarily limited. 2 Introduction Perhaps this accounts for the paucity of attempts, and the ease with which counter-cases can be adduced and hypotheses refuted. All we can hope to achieve with such a kaleidoscope of processes, ideologies and actors is to offer some conceptual frameworks and tools for their classification and investigation and, in the spirit of Max Weber, some suggestions about partial and probable causal relationships. While I have drawn from time to time on the works of others in formulating this theoretical statement, notably those of John Armstrong and John Hutchinson, what follows must be regarded as my own account of the main elements of ethno-symbolism, and is based mainly on my own interests. Drawing together and developing earlier brief résumés of my approach, it represents a summary of the theo- retical aspects of my work in the field since 1986. I offer this longer exposition in the hope that a fuller account of ethno-symbolism may be found to be useful to students and to all those who are interested in the issues raised by a study of ethnicity, nations and nationalism. Bibliography Aberbach, David (2007) ‘Myth, history and nationalism: poetry of the British Isles’, in Leoussi and Grosby (2007, 84–96) Abrams, Anne (1986) The Valiant Hero: Benjamin West and Grand-Style History Painting, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press Ades, Dawn (ed.) (1989) Art in Latin America: The Modern Era, 1820–1980, London: South Bank Centre Akenson, Donald (1992) God’s Peoples: Covenant and Land in South Africa, Israel and Ulster, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press Alba, Richard (2005) ‘Bright vs.