Nations and nationalisms in East-Central Europe : 1806-1948 : a festschrift for Peter F. Sugar

Nationalism has been a driving force in the still unfinished era of nation-building in East Central Europe. Conventionally traced to the late Enlightenment and the French Revolution, the rise of nationalism colored nineteenth-century understandings of democracy and provided fuel for aspirations to political independence. This volume brings together scholars from eight countries and focuses on nation-building and nationalism in East-Central Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and is organized around the following themes: understandings of nation, understandings of nationalism, changes in nationalism, typologies of nationalism, the urban-rural cleavage, and the role played by intellectuals and other activists in the development of national movements. Ramet (political science, Norwegian U. of Science and Technology, Norway), Felak (East European history, U. of Washington, US), and Ellison (emeritus, Russian history and international studies, U. of Washington) present 16 essays (one is not in English) that deal with historical and historiographical issues of the development of nationalism and related questions. Broad themes explored in the essays include the different meanings attached to the nation and nationalism, typologies of nations, the relationship of nationalism to rural-urban cleavages, and the role of political activists in promoting or denigrating nationalism. A final essay discusses the academic contributions of festschrift honoree Sugar. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR