Although nationalism and ethnicity have long been associated with minority populations, an emerging literature looks at how the state and/or a majority group interact with minorities, and how, behind the expression of the nation promoted by the state, there is often an ethnic core. This book contributes to this emerging literature on dominant nationalism and dominant ethnicity by presenting multidisciplinary contributions that center on how states deploy their own nationalism, and how the state's nation-building and nation-consolidating processes are very often spearheaded by a specific ethnocultural group. It focuses on the interrelated issues of identity, federalism and democracy. Dominant nationalism and ethnicity involve the projection, the promotion, and sometimes the imposition by the state and/or a dominant group of an identity, which can be challenged, negotiated and/or resisted by minority groups. This brings questions for democratic practices, since it raises the issue of self-rule. Since dominant nationalism and ethnicity are shaped by ideas and institutions relating to the territorial division of power, federalism is crucial for understanding these phenomena. The book is amongst the first to look at dominant nationalism and ethnicity from historical, theoretical, empirical and normative perspectives.

Globalization and migration are pressuring nations around the world to change their ethnic self-definition and to treasure diversity not homogeneity. This book explores the growing gap between modern nations and their dominant ethnic groups.

Nations in the developed world are no less immune from these complex issues - whether they involve Scottish nationalism, the rival national identities of Northern Ireland, the uneasy integration of former GDR citizens into a united Germany, the perennial problems of Afro-Americans and Hispanics in the USA, not to mention the myriad factors raised by the disappearance of the Soviet Union.

This volume explores the politics of identity by analysing the intersections between ethnicity, gender and nationalism in developing societies. These markers of identity are not understood as constituting essences, but as springing from people's core experiences, yearnings and strategic life plans in a context where resources are scarce. As such, identities may be, and are, contested. The intersections are traced across three areas: social and cultural reproduction; ideologies, stereotypes and practices; and nationalist politics and discourse which has tended to remove women from the public arena and construct an ideal of women's domesticity.

In Ethnicity and Nationalism, Thomas Hylland Eriksen demonstrates that far from being an immutable property of groups, ethnicity is a dynamic and shifting aspect of social relationships. Drawing on a wide range of classic and recent studies in anthropology and sociology, Eriksen examines the relationship between ethnicity, class, gender and nationhood, as well as current issues of racism, globalization and multiculturalism. Influential theories are presented and critically compared in a lucid and comprehensive manner. A core text for all students of social anthropology and related subjects, Ethnicity and Nationalism has been a leading introduction to the field since its original publication in 1993. New topics in this edition include cultural property rights, the role of genetics in the public understanding of identification, commercialisation of identity, and the significance of the internet.

Nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship lie at the heart of many of the societal changes that are currently transforming countries across the world. Global migration has undermined old certainties provided by the established framework of nation-states, with inward migration, cultural diversity and transnational affiliations having become established facts of life in many countries. These phenomena raise significant challenges for traditional conceptions of citizenship. This book provides a detailed examination, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, of contemporary issues relating to nationalism, ethnicity and citizenship. The book aims to take stock of current understandings in this area, and to establish whether there are connections between the understandings that are being articulated within different social science disciplines. The contributors, who are all senior international figures in their respective fields, are drawn from a range of disciplines, including Politics, Sociology, Communication/Media, Geography, Psychology and Education. Collectively, they address the following specific questions: • To what extent do multiculturalism and transnationalism undermine nationalism or, on the contrary, provoke its reassertion? • How do the multiple identities and multiple levels of belonging experienced today interact with traditional nationalist ideology? • Within multicultural societies, how far do representations of ‘cultural others’ still play a role in nationalist constructions of ‘the nation’? • How successfully have the welfare systems of nation-states responded to the influx of migrants? • How have national politicians responded to the cultural diversity of their own countries and have they moved beyond the traditional logic of nationalism within their thinking? • Why are extreme right-wing parties gaining increased levels of support? • What social and psychological resources do citizens require in order to function effectively at the political level within multicultural democratic societies? • How can the educational systems of states, which have traditionally been used for nationalist purposes, be harnessed to enhance the competences needed by their citizens for successful living in multicultural societies? • What changes need to be made to educational policies in order to ensure the effective integration of minority citizens? Despite the fact that they have been written from different disciplinary perspectives, the various chapters in this book paint a consistent picture. They offer a view of a world in which nationalism is still very much a dominant ideology which configures the discourse and thinking of citizens and politicians alike about nation-states, ethnic diversity, multiculturalism and citizenship. The crucial role of education is also highlighted, with school systems being uniquely positioned to equip citizens with the psychological resources and intercultural competences that are needed to function effectively within multicultural societies.

Essential reading for anyone interested in problems associated with ethnicity and nationalism - it offers a guide to understanding the ethnonational forces that underpin much of recent terrorist activity.