/397/ Reading Club: Imagined Communities (sample)

On Benedict Anderson's classic Imagined Communities.

 

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Originally published in 1983, Anderson's account of the origins of nations is one of the most cited books in English in the humanities. In what ways does this diverse and inventive book still explain the world?

• How is imagined different from imaginary?
• Did nations emerge first in Latin America?
• Does Anderson's account of print capitalism still apply – and is it more valid than ever?
• Are we really in a post-national era?
• Does Anderson underestimate the political side – the project of achieving your 'own' state?

Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (pdf)

 

The Reading Club this year is dedicated to three themes: the rise and fall of nations; intellectuals and the public; Russia: past and present.