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What is a nation and why is nationalism widespread in the world now? In this book Paul James argues that `nation' and `nationalism' are two of the most undertheorized and misunderstood concepts in the contemporary world.

The author guides the reader through the theoretical contributions of Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Gellner, Nairn and Giddens, demonstrating the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments. This theoretical survey is threaded into a discussion of recent political crises such as the war in Bosnia and the genocide in Rwanda. Throughout, the aim is not to rediscover the concepts of `nation' and `nationalism' but to use classical and contemporary approaches to offer a new way of theorizing. James argues that the nation is an abstract and contradictory community. The result is a powerful book which operates as an overview of the key writings in the field and also gives a distinctive twist to the debate.