First edition published by Broadview Press 2004.

This interdisciplinary book overviews political and cultural identity in the context of changes across the political landscape. These changes - from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the recent Islamic revival - have profoundly altered the received ideas that define political cultures throughout the world. In this context the author draws together the diverse strands of literature to throw light on the impact on identity of a changing global environment. Peter Preston analyzes political, cultural and economic identities which lie at the centre of individual actions and social structure. This analysis is fleshed out by a detailed examination of specific regional cases, including: the realignment of Europe; the sharp rise of Pacific Asia; and the Americas after NAFTA.

Redefining self. Transnational Rio de Janeiro : (Re)visiting geographical experiences / Alan P. Marcus ; When Russia came to stay / Lea Povozhaev ; "Neither the end of the world nor the beginning" : transnational identity politics in Lisa Suhair Majaj's self-writing / Silvia Schultermandl ; Identity and belonging among second-generation Greek and Italian Canadian women / Noula Papayiannis ; Time and space in the life of Pierre S. Weiss : autoethnographic engagements with memory and trans/dis/location / Samuel Veissière -- Redefining nation. Contemporary Croatian film and the new social economy / Jelena Šesnić ; Identity, bodies, and second-generation returnees in West Africa / Erin Kenny ; What is an autobiographical author :becoming the other / Julian Vigo ; Transnational identity mappings in Andrea Levy's fiction / Șebnem Toplu -- Redefining family. The personal, the political, and the complexity of identity : some thoughts on mothering / May Friedman ; Mothers on the move : experiences of Indonesian women migrant workers / Theresa W. Devasahayam and Noor Abdul Rahman ; From Changowitz to Bailey Wong : mixed heritage and transnational families in Gish Jen's fiction / Lan Dong ; Tug of war : the gender dynamics of parenting in a bi/transnational family / Katrin Krǐz and Uday Manandhar.

Preston is concerned with the extent to which fundamental changes in the political landscape have altered the received ideas that define political cultures around the world. Issues include the rise of Pacific Asia and the realignment of Europe.

The Nation in the Global Era: Conflict and Transformation offers unique perspectives into a range of important current topics for both activists and scholars concerned with globalization. The articles combine the study of globalization as an integrated world system with the specifics of how individual nations and groups are inserted into the larger economic, social, cultural and political patterns. This essential approach seeks out those forces that create a shared world system, yet understands the multiple levels and variances under which that system develops. Chapters explore the relationship between class and state under the impact of globalization; how nations, particularly in the South, are affected by globalization; and the development of national identity and consciousness within the context of global relationships. Contributors include: JoAnn Chirico, Ryan D. Griffiths, Magda von der Heydt- Coca, Ismael Hossein-zadeh, Kwangkun Lee, Patrick Loy, Cori Madrid, Georgina Murray, Greg Nowell, Rubin Patterson, Isaías R. Rivera, Lorena Garcia Ruiz, Ivan Savić, David Schweickart, Sandeep Sen, Jason Struna, John W. Sutherlin, Kumru Toktamis, Joshua W. Walker, Veda Ward, William Tabb. Originally published as Volume 8: 2-3 (2009) of Brill's journal Perspectives on Global Development and Technology.

This volume makes a unique contribution to the literature on nations and nationalism by examining why nations remain a vibrant and strong social cohesive despite the threat of globalization. Regardless of predictions forecasting the demise of the nation-state in the global era, the nation persists as an important source of identity, community, and collective memory for most of the world's population. More than simply a corrective to the many scholarly but premature epitaphs for the nation-state, this book explains the continued health of nations in the face of looming threats. The contributors include leading experts in the field, such as Anthony D. Smith, William Safran, Edward Tiryakian as well as younger scholars, whom adopt a variety of approaches ranging from theoretical to empirical and historical to sociological, in order to uncover both the reasons that nations continue to remain vital and the mechanisms that help perpetuate them. The book includes case studies on Ireland, Thailand, Poland, the Baltic States, Croatia and Jordan. Nationalism in a Global Era will be of great interest to students and researchers of international politics, sociology, nationalism and ethnicity.