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On Nationalism
As the most distinguished left-wing historian of his generation, Eric Hobsbawn did not like nationalism, but sought to understand it rather than dismiss nationalist feelings and patriotism as absurd. In these essays, Hobsbawm looks at its history and the idea of a nation in many different contexts, with topics ranging from the 19th-century age of revolutions to the Falklands War, but also addressing 'the perils of new nationalism'.
364 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2021
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564 people want to read
About the author
Eric J. Hobsbawm
215 books1,724 followersEric John Ernest Hobsbawm was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789–1848, The Age of Capital: 1848–1875 and The Age of Empire: 1875–1914) and the "short 20th century" (The Age of Extremes), and an edited volume that introduced the influential idea of "invented traditions". A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work.
Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood mainly in Vienna and Berlin. Following the death of his parents and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Hobsbawm moved to London with his adoptive family. After serving in the Second World War, he obtained his PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. In 1998, he was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour. He was president of Birkbeck, University of London, from 2002 until his death. In 2003, he received the Balzan Prize for European History since 1900, "for his brilliant analysis of the troubled history of 20th century Europe and for his ability to combine in-depth historical research with great literary talent."
Hobsbawm was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and spent his childhood mainly in Vienna and Berlin. Following the death of his parents and the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, Hobsbawm moved to London with his adoptive family. After serving in the Second World War, he obtained his PhD in history at the University of Cambridge. In 1998, he was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour. He was president of Birkbeck, University of London, from 2002 until his death. In 2003, he received the Balzan Prize for European History since 1900, "for his brilliant analysis of the troubled history of 20th century Europe and for his ability to combine in-depth historical research with great literary talent."
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 28, 2023
É um livro fantástico, denso e riquíssimo na informação. Dá-nos uma visão histórica sobre as origens dos movimentos nacionalistas e a sua evolução. Explica ainda porque culminaram com a IGM e a sua sequela e, alerta-nos para a realidade actual e o risco dos inúmeros rastilhos que se vão acendendo encontrarem um barril de pólvora por perto.
Escrito com notas de ironia que auxiliam a digestão de um texto que por vezes fica bastante hermético. Sendo um livro onde se reúnem as palestras que o autor deu sobre o tema, corria o risco de ter capítulos soltos e desajustados, ou de ter temas que ficassem desequilíbradamente curtos. Ora isso não acontece. Consegue-se acompanhar o texto com fluidez e a riqueza do vocabulário foi algo que me não passou despercebido. Parabéns ao tradutor.
Em muitos capítulos é um livro académico, noutros como os que abordam o nacionalismo das ilhas britânicas, o tema pode perder algum interesse para quem delas não for nativo.
E quanto ao conteúdo? Eric H vê os nacionalismos essencialmente como um fenómeno político dos últimos 150. Em períodos anteriores também podiam também ter ocorrido fenómenos de pertença étnica, religiosa ou rácica, mas os mesmos não tinham expressão de nação num território. Isto é um fenómeno relativamente recente, que se no início do século XX surgia como um fenómeno agregador, finais do século XX e inícios do século XXI assume-se como essencialmente com conotações separatistas.
Mas, tenha que conotações tiver, é essencialmente político. Disseram os independentistas italianos, fizemos a Itália, agora vamos construir os italianos.
É político. Pode ter fundamentos geográficos, rácicos, religiosos, étnicos, ou outros, mas nenhum deles faz a necessidade de um estado ter uma nação e das nações terem um estado.
Escrito com notas de ironia que auxiliam a digestão de um texto que por vezes fica bastante hermético. Sendo um livro onde se reúnem as palestras que o autor deu sobre o tema, corria o risco de ter capítulos soltos e desajustados, ou de ter temas que ficassem desequilíbradamente curtos. Ora isso não acontece. Consegue-se acompanhar o texto com fluidez e a riqueza do vocabulário foi algo que me não passou despercebido. Parabéns ao tradutor.
Em muitos capítulos é um livro académico, noutros como os que abordam o nacionalismo das ilhas britânicas, o tema pode perder algum interesse para quem delas não for nativo.
E quanto ao conteúdo? Eric H vê os nacionalismos essencialmente como um fenómeno político dos últimos 150. Em períodos anteriores também podiam também ter ocorrido fenómenos de pertença étnica, religiosa ou rácica, mas os mesmos não tinham expressão de nação num território. Isto é um fenómeno relativamente recente, que se no início do século XX surgia como um fenómeno agregador, finais do século XX e inícios do século XXI assume-se como essencialmente com conotações separatistas.
Mas, tenha que conotações tiver, é essencialmente político. Disseram os independentistas italianos, fizemos a Itália, agora vamos construir os italianos.
É político. Pode ter fundamentos geográficos, rácicos, religiosos, étnicos, ou outros, mas nenhum deles faz a necessidade de um estado ter uma nação e das nações terem um estado.
September 29, 2021
Raccolta di brevi saggi, di estratti da saggi più ampî, di articoli, recensioni di libri, ecc, tutti a tema "nazionalismo".
Purtroppo, c'è da dire, la selezione non è stata effettuata al meglio, la qualità degli scritti non è uniforme, la loro eterogeneità palese, e presentano pure delle inevitabili ripetizioni.
Tuttavia, qua e là dall'insieme riesce quasi a emergere un pensiero entro certi limiti sistematico di Hobsbawm sull'argomento e, soprattutto, nei passaggi migliori, troviamo la lucidità e lo spessore della riflessione tipici del grande storico, supportati per altro da una conoscenza erudita invidiabile.
Altrove, invece, forse per il passaggio dei decennî dal momento della stesura dei testi fino alla pubblicazione in questa antologia, le riflessioni risultano datate o anacronistiche. Fa quasi tenerezza leggere l'importanza data ormai un'epoca fa alla questione operaia, all'internazionalismo delle classi lavoratrici e così via in un tempo, il nostro, che ha ormai archiviato forse definitivamente questi argomenti. Altrettanto interessanti e sintomatici i passaggi in cui Hobsbawm minimizza una possibile importanza, anche futura, del nazionalismo scozzese nelle relazioni interne al Regno Unito: il nostro presente sembra averlo smentito clamorosamente, a dimostrazione (se ce ne fosse ancora bisogno) che la storia è imprevedibile perché non lineare, che può cambiare radicalmente corso nell'arco di tempi relativamente brevi, e che le tendenze di ieri non sono le tendenze di domani.
Purtroppo, c'è da dire, la selezione non è stata effettuata al meglio, la qualità degli scritti non è uniforme, la loro eterogeneità palese, e presentano pure delle inevitabili ripetizioni.
Tuttavia, qua e là dall'insieme riesce quasi a emergere un pensiero entro certi limiti sistematico di Hobsbawm sull'argomento e, soprattutto, nei passaggi migliori, troviamo la lucidità e lo spessore della riflessione tipici del grande storico, supportati per altro da una conoscenza erudita invidiabile.
Altrove, invece, forse per il passaggio dei decennî dal momento della stesura dei testi fino alla pubblicazione in questa antologia, le riflessioni risultano datate o anacronistiche. Fa quasi tenerezza leggere l'importanza data ormai un'epoca fa alla questione operaia, all'internazionalismo delle classi lavoratrici e così via in un tempo, il nostro, che ha ormai archiviato forse definitivamente questi argomenti. Altrettanto interessanti e sintomatici i passaggi in cui Hobsbawm minimizza una possibile importanza, anche futura, del nazionalismo scozzese nelle relazioni interne al Regno Unito: il nostro presente sembra averlo smentito clamorosamente, a dimostrazione (se ce ne fosse ancora bisogno) che la storia è imprevedibile perché non lineare, che può cambiare radicalmente corso nell'arco di tempi relativamente brevi, e che le tendenze di ieri non sono le tendenze di domani.
July 6, 2024
This is a collection of essays on the topic from throughout Hobsbawm's career as an academic and a writer, ranging from full academic papers to conference introductions and reviews. As expected, there's lots of repetition as he modifies, re-uses and expands ideas to suit the audience each was written for. With somebody of Hobsbawm's reputation, it is obviously useful to have all of this writing in one place for the first time, but I'd suggest reading his Nations and Nationalism Since 1780 first, and treating this as supplementary material.
July 14, 2023
Eccellente saggio sul passaggio dal ventesimo al ventunesimo secolo, con tutti gli aspetti più o meno noti ed analizzati che questa svolta epocale può comportare. Profetico, se si considera che sono passati vent'anni da allora e molte delle cose ipotizzate da Hobsbawm si stanno avverando o sono già una realtà.
May 7, 2025
Libro assurdo, analizza il nazionalismo come solo un grande storico potrebbe fare, in un certo modo prevedendo anche quello che sarebbe successo dopo le conferenze che ha tenuto e che sono riportate nello scritto.
March 30, 2025
Nationalism is one of our era's most revolutionary forces, paraphrasing Hobsbawm. It is important to understand it, not to underestimate it, and be pragmatic about it so it's not monopolised by racists and xenophobes on the right. This book is a fantastic collection of essays that opens one's eyes on topics like patriotism, the nationality construct, it's relationship with the working class (and socialism), the political (negative) use of nationalism, and it's dangers. Old but not outdated. Recommended to history lovers and nationalists. Hate nationalism, read this book.
August 16, 2021
Very academic and too theoretical to be of much interest to the general reader. An excellent example of its genre, though.
September 13, 2022
A provocative set of essays set back by some clear historical blind spots on the author's part. Mostly noteworthy by a general failure to consider the nationalism that is inbuilt into imperialism which I would argue is the worst form of nationalism.
Hobsbawm also argued in his essay on the Falklands War, which is probably the closet he gets to critically examining English nationalism - he does look at Scottish and Welsh nationalism earlier in the work but generally forgoes any sort of criticism of English identity, that the left should adopt nationalism which I think is impossible because nationalism implies the innate belief that you are superior to "the other" and we are seeing it's dangerous, illogical group think outlet with the enforced mourning going on for the Queen, something that implicitly tells victims of the British Empire that they are not wanted in conversations surrounding the future of the country and also English descanters that they are not wanted because they have dangerous ideas.
I think nationalism is justified only as a sort of provisional measure if it comes to self-determination. If a people are exploited by another, larger people whether it be for wealth, land, resources, or due to some racial or cultural bias that people have a right to self-determination, but this only gets you so far in the end. Hobsbawm is right to say that Scotland and Wales would struggle to make it alone outside of the UK - these questions are far more relevant now due to the aftermath of Brexit, but of course my country the Republic Of Ireland proved there is an alternative option, joining a larger, more democratic power structure like the EU, but leftwing nationalists hate the EU, although granted I don't know what the authors view on the institution was.
The Russo-Ukraine War is obviously a very good current, real-time case study for the justifications and cautions about self-determination.
So, how would I approach this conflict using nationalism as a framework?
Firstly, Putin apologists like to point out the two separatist Republics in the Donbas, who are both pro-Russian the argument being that Ukraine is denying them self-determination. In and of itself this is not an entirely unreasonable argument and if this region simply wanted to be part of Russia the matter might be closed there.
But anyone who has been paying attention since the war started back in February knows that Putin does not believe that Ukraine should exist as a body-politic, it's clear he only recognized the automony of the two breakaway republics not out of protection for them, but as a pretext for his planned invasion of Ukraine, after all he blamed Lenin for inventing the Ukraine.
The majority of Ukrainian's however don't want to be part of Russia and so it is reasonable to then attest that they have a right to self-determination, something they overwhelmingly voted for back in 1991. Then of course we have the question of fascism, which is another one of the toxic, logical end points of nationalism, tankies will say Zelensky is working with fascists, while in fact the Azov Battalion is only a small proportion of the Ukraine army and of course they fall silent when you mention the Neo-Nazis Putin has on his payroll (The Wagner Group anyone?)
This is all to say that I think countries have a right to self-determination but taken as it's own ideology there's nothing to be happy about when it comes to nationalism, ideally all peoples would live in a borderless world, and learn to value otherness, it would save so much bloodshed, but like Hobsbawm I don't really know how we end up getting there unless it's through large super structures like the European or African Union's. Although these entities being left by themselves, would only amount to a sort of nationalism as they reival each other for increasingly scant global resources (climate change).
Basically, people are a mess.
Hobsbawm also argued in his essay on the Falklands War, which is probably the closet he gets to critically examining English nationalism - he does look at Scottish and Welsh nationalism earlier in the work but generally forgoes any sort of criticism of English identity, that the left should adopt nationalism which I think is impossible because nationalism implies the innate belief that you are superior to "the other" and we are seeing it's dangerous, illogical group think outlet with the enforced mourning going on for the Queen, something that implicitly tells victims of the British Empire that they are not wanted in conversations surrounding the future of the country and also English descanters that they are not wanted because they have dangerous ideas.
I think nationalism is justified only as a sort of provisional measure if it comes to self-determination. If a people are exploited by another, larger people whether it be for wealth, land, resources, or due to some racial or cultural bias that people have a right to self-determination, but this only gets you so far in the end. Hobsbawm is right to say that Scotland and Wales would struggle to make it alone outside of the UK - these questions are far more relevant now due to the aftermath of Brexit, but of course my country the Republic Of Ireland proved there is an alternative option, joining a larger, more democratic power structure like the EU, but leftwing nationalists hate the EU, although granted I don't know what the authors view on the institution was.
The Russo-Ukraine War is obviously a very good current, real-time case study for the justifications and cautions about self-determination.
So, how would I approach this conflict using nationalism as a framework?
Firstly, Putin apologists like to point out the two separatist Republics in the Donbas, who are both pro-Russian the argument being that Ukraine is denying them self-determination. In and of itself this is not an entirely unreasonable argument and if this region simply wanted to be part of Russia the matter might be closed there.
But anyone who has been paying attention since the war started back in February knows that Putin does not believe that Ukraine should exist as a body-politic, it's clear he only recognized the automony of the two breakaway republics not out of protection for them, but as a pretext for his planned invasion of Ukraine, after all he blamed Lenin for inventing the Ukraine.
The majority of Ukrainian's however don't want to be part of Russia and so it is reasonable to then attest that they have a right to self-determination, something they overwhelmingly voted for back in 1991. Then of course we have the question of fascism, which is another one of the toxic, logical end points of nationalism, tankies will say Zelensky is working with fascists, while in fact the Azov Battalion is only a small proportion of the Ukraine army and of course they fall silent when you mention the Neo-Nazis Putin has on his payroll (The Wagner Group anyone?)
This is all to say that I think countries have a right to self-determination but taken as it's own ideology there's nothing to be happy about when it comes to nationalism, ideally all peoples would live in a borderless world, and learn to value otherness, it would save so much bloodshed, but like Hobsbawm I don't really know how we end up getting there unless it's through large super structures like the European or African Union's. Although these entities being left by themselves, would only amount to a sort of nationalism as they reival each other for increasingly scant global resources (climate change).
Basically, people are a mess.
April 1, 2023
Recopilación de artículos en torno al tema del nacionalismo de Hobsbawm, uno de los grande experto en la materia.
Leer a Hobsbawm es imprescindible para comprender el fenómeno de los nacionalismos y, por ende, del mundo actual. No obstante, aunque el editor ha tratado de darle una cierta unidad agrupando esta colección de artículos y conferencias en dos grupos temáticos, el esfuerzo resulta fútil y a menudo nos encontramos con las mismas ideas una y otra vez. Y al contrario: se echa en falta con demasiada frecuencia una profundización mayor en algunos de los temas.
Interesante, pero ahora me parece aún más imprescindible adentrarse en alguna de las obras largas del autor donde din duda espero encontrar la profundidad que aquí me ha faltado.
Por otro lado, son escritos que apenas llegan hasta los años ochenta, de ahí que muchos fenómenos actuales, que son trascendentales para entender el nacionalismo y el internacionalismo actual, queden lamentablemente fuera de la obra.
Leer a Hobsbawm es imprescindible para comprender el fenómeno de los nacionalismos y, por ende, del mundo actual. No obstante, aunque el editor ha tratado de darle una cierta unidad agrupando esta colección de artículos y conferencias en dos grupos temáticos, el esfuerzo resulta fútil y a menudo nos encontramos con las mismas ideas una y otra vez. Y al contrario: se echa en falta con demasiada frecuencia una profundización mayor en algunos de los temas.
Interesante, pero ahora me parece aún más imprescindible adentrarse en alguna de las obras largas del autor donde din duda espero encontrar la profundidad que aquí me ha faltado.
Por otro lado, son escritos que apenas llegan hasta los años ochenta, de ahí que muchos fenómenos actuales, que son trascendentales para entender el nacionalismo y el internacionalismo actual, queden lamentablemente fuera de la obra.
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February 15, 2025This is a collection of essays, chapters and lectures on the topic of nationalism produced by Eric Hobsbawm between 1933 and 2013, some of which are much stronger than others.
The best chapters are mainly found around the middle and in the later half of the book. Personally I found "Working-Class Internationalism", "Defining Nationalism: The Problems", "Are All Tounges Equal?" and "Ethnicity and Nationalism" particularly instructive.
The later chapters that are more specific to a geographic area or a historical event like "The Celtic Fringe" or "Falklands Fallout" also work well enough, although the former especially is somewhat outdated by now.
Many of the other chapters feel repetitive, rambly and slightly pointless. I wouldn't recommend reading the whole book. If you're interested in Hobsbawm's takes on nationalism, I would highly recommend reading his book Nations and Nationalism Since 1780 instead!
The best chapters are mainly found around the middle and in the later half of the book. Personally I found "Working-Class Internationalism", "Defining Nationalism: The Problems", "Are All Tounges Equal?" and "Ethnicity and Nationalism" particularly instructive.
The later chapters that are more specific to a geographic area or a historical event like "The Celtic Fringe" or "Falklands Fallout" also work well enough, although the former especially is somewhat outdated by now.
Many of the other chapters feel repetitive, rambly and slightly pointless. I wouldn't recommend reading the whole book. If you're interested in Hobsbawm's takes on nationalism, I would highly recommend reading his book Nations and Nationalism Since 1780 instead!
December 28, 2024
Es un libro-ensayo análisis de la historia del nacionalismo desde la perspectiva y análisis de un autor interesantísimo. Por momento se hace muy complejo, demasiado y por otros es tan simple que se disfruta. Tome mucha nota de páginas para releer a futuro y aporta muchísimo conocimiento histórico en cuanto a la formación de conceptos como nación, etnia, estado nacional y lengua. Lo más interesante del libro es que muestra la cara de estos conceptos en distintos tonos, ya que para cada nación o pueblo son diferentes. Por más de que no coincida desde el punto de vista ideológico con el autor sus análisis son intelectualmente riquísimos para el lector, este de acuerdo o no.
7/10
7/10
March 26, 2025
Un libro da leggere suonerà banale, ma è proprio quello che quest'opera è. Riflessioni anche troppo attuali, lo sguardo lungo spesso preciso, ma non sempre, rendono le previsioni di Hobsbawm un gelido resoconto di come la storia si ripete. L'analisi al secolo più tristemente famoso è base per la riflessione politica, economica, sociale di quello che verrà. Il suo sguardo è rivolto al futuro, al nostro presente e alla nostra realtà. Una realtà che si è rivelata più complessa e purtroppo meno felice di quello che l'autore si fosse augurato.
December 9, 2024
"Getting history wrong is an essential part of being a nation."
"Nationalism [...] annexes anything else it finds convenient in the heritage of the past, adding the wormholes of antiquity to a lot of newly constructed furniture such as a largely fictional national history or even, in many cases, a newly constructed standard national language."
Wonderfully insightful selection of Hobsbawm's writings - but the format meant that it had a fair amount of repetition.
3.5*
"Nationalism [...] annexes anything else it finds convenient in the heritage of the past, adding the wormholes of antiquity to a lot of newly constructed furniture such as a largely fictional national history or even, in many cases, a newly constructed standard national language."
Wonderfully insightful selection of Hobsbawm's writings - but the format meant that it had a fair amount of repetition.
3.5*
May 25, 2022
If you thought you knew everything about nacionalisms, surprise, YA DON'T. As a former History high school student and a currently Law student, this book is extremely enlightning on how Nacionalisms didn't just showed up out of nowhere, and it's deep impact on society, politics, ...
If you're curious about this subject, this is definitly a MUST READ.
If you're curious about this subject, this is definitly a MUST READ.
April 10, 2022
A collection of essays that help to explain various roots of historic and semi modern cases of nationalism whilst highlighting some of the legitimate and nefarious ways it can be used to organise people.
July 4, 2022
Es una recopilación de conferencias sobre el nacionalismo. El capítulo “El desastre de las Malvinas” es el que me pareció más clarificador, esa guerra fue un anticipo de lo que fue el Brexit, ahí ya estaba esa mentalidad que tan bien supieron manipular los medios sensacionalistas y algunos eurodiputados que después hicieron mutis (por el foro).
Aunque para Hobsbawm “ningún historiador serio de las naciones y el nacionalismo puede ser un nacionalista político comprometido” y aunque “rechazase, desconfiase, desaprobase y temiese el nacionalismo” el libro en su conjunto me ha parecido muy filosófico y erudito. Me ha resultado muy arduo.
Aunque para Hobsbawm “ningún historiador serio de las naciones y el nacionalismo puede ser un nacionalista político comprometido” y aunque “rechazase, desconfiase, desaprobase y temiese el nacionalismo” el libro en su conjunto me ha parecido muy filosófico y erudito. Me ha resultado muy arduo.
April 12, 2023
Exceptional, thorough essays that, despite their chronological breadth, manage to maintain an unwavering argument throughout the work.
Would have benefited from greater non-European perspectives but cannot take away from the overall quality of the work.
Would have benefited from greater non-European perspectives but cannot take away from the overall quality of the work.
May 27, 2025
Essay collection so varied and occasionally repeats the same points, but overall thoughtful and insightful if sometimes dry Some fairly niche discussions rather than general discussion of nationalism broadly, but even they are considered and effective.
March 14, 2022
An amazing book for everyone in the sector, a bit too "big" for a casual reader, who may find this a bit boring
March 15, 2022
There were some really interesting ideas shared in this book, but given that it’s a collection of essays it can be a bit disjointed between chapters.
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October 2, 2025Gave this up around 80% in. Pretty well written, I just did not enjoy it. Maybe at a different part of my life I will find the interest to return to it.
January 29, 2025
bomb, illuminating… i’ll never look at nations the same way again
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews