Rethinking the End of Empire: Nationalism, State Formation, and Great Power Politics

The return of great power politics and surging nationalism raises questions about why the world order centers on the nation-state. Lynn M. Tesser's book challenges conventional wisdom by demonstrating that nationalism often existed more in the perceptions of external observers than of local activists and insurgents. It sheds light on why the various demands for change eventually coalesced around independence in some cases but not others.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 310 pages
Publication date: 21 May 2024
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The resurgence of great power politics amidst rising nationalism prompts a renewed examination of the reasons behind the global dominance of the nation-state system. Despite the historical prevalence of nationalist activism among elites, the majority of ordinary inhabitants and indigenous elites often identified with religious, ethnic, or status-based identities rather than national ones. This raises the question of why the aspirations of a relatively small group of individuals led to the emergence of numerous new states. Traditionally, the answer has been attributed to the actions of nationalists against weakening empires during a period characterized by the proliferation of beliefs in self-determination. However, this book challenges this conventional wisdom by highlighting that nationalism was often perceived more by external observers than by local activists and insurgents. Lynn M. Tesser's work adds valuable nuance to the scholarship that assumes most, if not all, pre-independence unrest was nationalist and separatist, and sheds light on the factors that led to the eventual convergence of various demands for change around independence in some cases but not others.

Weight: 482g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503638891