Food for Thought

Week 3: Tuesday, February 1

We will be discussing Chapters 3-5 from Smith's Nationalism today. Please look below to see which questions from which chapter you are responsible for.

Chapter 3 (Last Name from A to J)

In Chapter 3, Smith explains the different schools of thought that have emerged among historians and social scientists concerning nations and nationalism. Be prepared to describe what distinguishes each of these schools of thought from one another.

1) What do the "modernists" believe about the origins of nations?

2) What do the "perennialists" believe?

3) What do the "primordialists" believe?

4) What do the "ethno-symbolists" emphasize?

Chapter 4 (Last Name from K to O)

In this chapter, Smith points out the debates that occur between the different schools of thought presented in Chapter 3. Be prepared to describe the general nature of these debates concerning nations and nationalism.

1) What is Gellner's theory concerning the relationship between modernization and the emergence of nations?

2) What exactly is at the heart of the debate described in the section on "Reason and Emotion"?

3) In the section on "Politics and Culture," what kind of debate does Smith describe?

4) What is the debate that Smith describes in the section on "Construction and Reinterpretation"?

Chapter 5 (Last Name from P to Z)

At the beginning of this chapter, Smith summarizes the arguments of Eric Hobsbawm whose "modernist" history of nationalism has become the dominant interpretation in the field. He then proceeds to pick this interpretation apart, piece by piece. After attacking Hobsbawm, Smith proceeds to develop his own interpretation or scheme concerning the history of nations and nationalism.

1) What are the five theses of Hobsbawm's argument that Smith summarizes towards the beginning of the chapter?

2) How does Smith attack each of these five theses?

3) What are the different stages in the history of nations that Smith proposes instead? What elements characterizes each of these stages?