Nation Building

Why Some Countries Come Together While Others Fall Apart

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Political Science
Cover of the book Nation Building by Andreas Wimmer, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andreas Wimmer ISBN: 9781400888894
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: May 8, 2018
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Andreas Wimmer
ISBN: 9781400888894
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: May 8, 2018
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

A new and comprehensive look at the reasons behind successful or failed nation building

Nation Building presents bold new answers to an age-old question. Why is national integration achieved in some diverse countries, while others are destabilized by political inequality between ethnic groups, contentious politics, or even separatism and ethnic war? Traversing centuries and continents from early nineteenth-century Europe and Asia to Africa from the turn of the twenty-first century to today, Andreas Wimmer delves into the slow-moving forces that encourage political alliances to stretch across ethnic divides and build national unity.

Using datasets that cover the entire world and three pairs of case studies, Wimmer’s theory of nation building focuses on slow-moving, generational processes: the spread of civil society organizations, linguistic assimilation, and the states’ capacity to provide public goods. Wimmer contrasts Switzerland and Belgium to demonstrate how the early development of voluntary organizations enhanced nation building; he examines Botswana and Somalia to illustrate how providing public goods can bring diverse political constituencies together; and he shows that the differences between China and Russia indicate how a shared linguistic space may help build political alliances across ethnic boundaries.

Wimmer then reveals, based on the statistical analysis of large-scale datasets, that these mechanisms are at work around the world and explain nation building better than competing arguments such as democratic governance or colonial legacies. He also shows that when political alliances crosscut ethnic divides and when most ethnic communities are represented at the highest levels of government, the general populace will identify with the nation and its symbols, further deepening national political integration.

Offering a long-term historical perspective and global outlook, Nation Building sheds important new light on the challenges of political integration in diverse countries.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A new and comprehensive look at the reasons behind successful or failed nation building

Nation Building presents bold new answers to an age-old question. Why is national integration achieved in some diverse countries, while others are destabilized by political inequality between ethnic groups, contentious politics, or even separatism and ethnic war? Traversing centuries and continents from early nineteenth-century Europe and Asia to Africa from the turn of the twenty-first century to today, Andreas Wimmer delves into the slow-moving forces that encourage political alliances to stretch across ethnic divides and build national unity.

Using datasets that cover the entire world and three pairs of case studies, Wimmer’s theory of nation building focuses on slow-moving, generational processes: the spread of civil society organizations, linguistic assimilation, and the states’ capacity to provide public goods. Wimmer contrasts Switzerland and Belgium to demonstrate how the early development of voluntary organizations enhanced nation building; he examines Botswana and Somalia to illustrate how providing public goods can bring diverse political constituencies together; and he shows that the differences between China and Russia indicate how a shared linguistic space may help build political alliances across ethnic boundaries.

Wimmer then reveals, based on the statistical analysis of large-scale datasets, that these mechanisms are at work around the world and explain nation building better than competing arguments such as democratic governance or colonial legacies. He also shows that when political alliances crosscut ethnic divides and when most ethnic communities are represented at the highest levels of government, the general populace will identify with the nation and its symbols, further deepening national political integration.

Offering a long-term historical perspective and global outlook, Nation Building sheds important new light on the challenges of political integration in diverse countries.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Failing in the Field by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Prophets of the Past by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book A Turn to Empire by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Wittgenstein on the Arbitrariness of Grammar by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Tocqueville by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Nature, Human Nature, and Human Difference by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Black Atlantic Religion by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book A Guide to the Mammals of China by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book The Lives of Animals by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book The Crossley ID Guide by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book From Neighborhoods to Nations by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book The Rites of Identity by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book After Liberalism by Andreas Wimmer
Cover of the book Nietzsche's Great Politics by Andreas Wimmer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy