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Title: Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism by Benedict Anderson ISBN: 0-86091-546-8 Publisher: Verso Books Pub. Date: July, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (16 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A must for any student of nationalism
Comment: Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities is one of the most important and influential books on the phenomenon of nationalism currently in print. The primary contribution he makes concerns the notion of the development of a community with shared or common cultural media that generate a sense of communal self-awareness or consciousness. Although he uses as his primary example the experience of reading a newspaper (which makes readers conscious of others who share their values, concerns, and experiences, even if they have no direct contact with those people, often over a great distance), the imagined community has broader implications.
This book will make you think about how you conceive of the communities you belong to, and how these communities are created and reproduced. Beyond the obvious importance of broadcast media, in modern American culture, the mall, with its ubiquitous chain stores, is an important motor of our imagined American community: you will find the same basic stores, carrying the same basic styles, in every town in America, creating a sense of common tastes and culture.
While some may complain that the book is dry and boring, it is a scholarly work intended for an educated audience. It is not a popularization intended for the general public. Nevertheless, if you are up for it, it is more than worthwhile.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good but very mediocre
Comment: Here is a review of the book that I wrote for my history-writing class.
Benedict Anderson, a professor of International Studies at Cornell University, uses his knowledge and experience to construct Imagined Communities, a non-fictional work about the origins and outcomes of nationalism. The subject matter is often complicated but rather interesting to the uneducated mind.
It is clear that Anderson's intent was to educate and enlighten those who are not familiar with the concept of nationalism or the very sub-themes connected with it (i.e. religion, patriotism), however, it appears that Anderson seems to be writing for the audience of college students with the purpose of using his book as text rather than creating the book for the average person, since he is a man of academics.
Origins and the outcomes of nationalism are the two main, distinct themes of Imagined Communities. Anderson explains that the United States is not the only one to be known for its nationalistic and patriotic nature. Many people, not just in North America, but in Europe and Asia, have a profound sense of patriotism and love toward their country of origin. Motivated by religion, patriotism, or loyalty, people from around the world either rise up against the government or crush those who oppose the status quo.
Imagined Communities is a detailed sketch of the outcomes of extreme nationalism. Cases of people being imprisoned or wiped out due to imperialistic mindsets and goals are described in explicit detail. Anderson points out that America and Britain are not the only nations to practice the Manifest Destiny ideals. Countries like China, Japan, and Russia are not immune to those ideals as they decide to push further and further into westward expansion.
The subject matter of the book accurately defines its title, Imagined Communities. Each country imagines itself to be perfect in ideals, government, society, and religion and the country's inhabitants strive to meet those idealistic goals. Some countries have lived up to their imagined standards and some have not done so. The United States was successful in expanding westward and "converting" the Native Americans to Christianity. Russia was successful in its monarchial form of government until the revolution of 1905 after the massacre known as Bloody Sunday.
Anderson's sources appear outdated to those reading this text today, since his sources have been dated as far back as the mid-19th century (the first edition of Anderson's book was published in 1983). The oldest sources are the primary sources, consisting of letters and manuscripts written by the history-makers themselves. Nonetheless, the sources are valid in accordance with the people who wrote them and their viewpoints on the occurrences.
The viewpoints used to construct this text include writers, poets, social reformers, religious leaders, and anyone from any walk of life imaginable. These viewpoints provide accurate and vital accounts of those involved with or the victims of extreme nationalism and imperialism. Anderson's academic experience and knowledge contributes greatly to this novel along with his numerous sources. He gives each case a realistic touch and tries not to let his personal opinions interfere with the hardcore evidence used to prove each case.
The shortcomings of Imagined Communities are few and far between but they must not go unmentioned. Although the intent of the text was to educate the unenlightened and uneducated reader about nationalism and its good and bad points, it appears to take on the shape of a college textbook, educating those who are studying the field of history, social sciences, or international studies. It is quite complicated and hard to understand, even to the eye of a semi-educated college student. As mentioned earlier, Anderson seems to try to not let his biased opinion interfere with the historical evidence, but it is definitely clear. He appears to be preaching his biased opinion on everything from religion to patriotism instead of sticking to the facts. The text's strength is that it drives the point home, the point that every country all over the earth we live on, strives to and imagines itself to be perfect and heavenly. The title itself is very appropriately fitting for the text.
Anderson's Imagined Communities is a mediocre work with good intentions. Unfortunately, those good intentions fall short of their standard of enlightening the reader about nationalism due to the fact that Anderson's style reads like a textbook and it is very complicated, however, his point at the end of every chapter summarizes his thesis very briefly, which makes it easier for the reader to understand and comprehend Anderson's academic writing style. The historical worth of the text is astounding. Anderson's sources provide great insight into the minds of people from the past though his liberal bias appears to be preachy in almost every chapter of his book. It's a great book, but it is more suited for the college student rather than the average, uneducated person.
Rating: 1
Summary: An awful book
Comment: I think the writing style is pretentious, ostentatious, and rambling. Anderson seems to belittle people and communities who are willing to die for their beliefs- who is he to criticize? He takes paragraphs upon paragraphs to get to the point, and uses 15 large words when 1 or 2 simpler words would suffice. Anderson seems very full of himself, and looks down upon people who do not share his beliefs on nationalism. He cares little for his audience or persuading his audience, he simply cares about trying to look as academic and snobbish as he can. Some arguments were obvious, and he tries to dress them up by adding pages of useless information and showy vocabulary. Others make no sense, and he doesn't explain them clearly or adequately. I do not recommend this book to anyone.
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Title: Nations and Nationalism since 1780 : Programme, Myth, Reality by E. J. Hobsbawm ISBN: 0521439612 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: January, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Orientalism by Edward W. Said ISBN: 039474067X Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks Pub. Date: October, 1979 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Nations and Nationalism by Ernest Gellner ISBN: 0801492637 Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr Pub. Date: December, 1983 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Invention of Tradition by Eric Hobsbawm, Terence Ranger ISBN: 0521437733 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: September, 1992 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: National Identity (Ethnonationalism in Comparative Perspective) by Anthony D. Smith ISBN: 0874172047 Publisher: Univ of Nevada Pr Pub. Date: May, 1993 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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