Self and Nation is a lively and accessible exploration of the issues related to nationhood, nationalism and national identity. The authors challenge common assumptions of what ‘national identity’ means by addressing key concepts of identity, national character, national history and nationalist psychology. How do constructions of national identity affect the way people act, are mobilized, transform societies, create nations and reshape nations where they already exist? This book shows how the central notion of national identity is used by politicians and activists in support of attempts to create different types of nations. Self and Nation will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers in social psychology, politics, sociology and social anthropology.

“Dark, playful, incisive and heartbreaking.” —San Diego Union-Tribune Spanning thirty years of dazzling work—from luminous early love lyrics to often-anthologized Asian American identity anthems, from political and subversive hybrid forms to feminist manifestos—A Portrait of the Self as Nation is a selection from one of America’s most original and vital voices. Marilyn Chin’s passionate, polyphonic poetry is deeply engaged with the complexities of cultural assimilation, feminism, and the Asian American experience; she spins precise, beautiful metaphors as she illuminates hard-hitting truths.

Offers humorous insight into the popularity and profitability of the self-help publishing industry, and expresses the authors' opinion of of such best-sellers as Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Norman Vicent Peale, and Leo Buscaglia.

A `RARE BOOK′ FROM LOCAL AUTHORS `Here is a rare book, a truly helpful piece of work on the psychology of nationalism. Stephen Reicher and Nick Hopkins, of St Andrews and Dundee Universities, focus much of their study of recent Scottish experience, drawing on inter-views with political activists. The cast light on why our `Unionists′ and nationalists feel so sure their side represents our national identity and the other lot doesn′t. For once it is a compliment to say a book raises more questions than it answers. Stephen Reicher and Nick Hopkins open up large questions closer inspection′ - Glasgow Herald `In this impressive book Stephen Reicher and Nick Hopkins draw from a wealth of research to address issues of nationality, national identity and nationalism that lie at the heart of core topics in social psychology and its cognate disciplines. They have produced a powerful and scholarly text that interweaves an abundance of rich empirical data with a broad-reaching and timely theoretical statement. Moreover, the content is not confined to matters of national identity but also extends to treatments of stereotyping, prejudice, intergroup conflict, leadership, collective action, and the self .... For all these reasons, the book should serve essential and compelling reading for a very broad audience′ - S Alexander Haslam, Australian National University `Stephen Reicher and Nick Hopkins write with elegance and clarity, drawing the reader into their argument, without losing any of its complexity and nuance. This book deserves to make a major impact in studies of nationalism. It ought to become a classic.... I′m quite bowled over - it′s really brilliant′ - David McCrone, Edinburgh University

Theorists of autobiography tend to emphasize the centrality of the individual against the community. By contrast, in her reading of Hebrew autobiography, Tamar Hess identifies the textual presence and function of the collective and its interplay with the Israeli self. What characterizes the ten writers she examines is the idea of a national self, an individual whose life story takes on meaning from his or her relation to the collective history and ethos of the nation. Her second and related argument is that this self - individually and collectively - must be understood in the context of waves of immigration to Israel's shores. Hess convincingly shows that autobiography is a transnational genre deeply influenced by the nation's literary as well as cultural history. This book makes an additional contribution to the history of autobiography and contemporary autobiography theory by analyzing the strategies of fragmentation that many of the writers Hess studies have adopted as ways of dealing with the conflicts between the self and the nation, between who they feel they are and what they are expected to be. Hess contrasts the predominantly masculine tradition of Hebrew autobiography with writings by women, and offers a fresh understanding of the Israeli soul and the Hebrew literary canon. A systematic review of contemporary Hebrew autobiography, this study raises fundamental questions essential to the debates about identity at the heart of Israeli culture today. It will interest scholars and students of contemporary Israeli culture, as well as those intrigued by the literary genre of autobiography.

Drawing on scientific evidence and common sense, the authors reveal how "therapism" and the trauma industry pervade society. They demonstrate that "talking about" problems is no substitute for confronting them.

Focusing especially on the era since the Cold War, political scientists, other scholars, and government officials examine both empirically and conceptually the causes and impacts of people striving for self-determination and autonomy. They consider the legal, political-administrative, ethnic-cultural, economic, and strategic dimensions; and try to consider examples from all major regions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)