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mpoe · 4244 days ago · link · · parent · post: Azar Gat, “Nations: The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity and Nationalism”
"How was it that this gathered momentum?" The answer has to do with the persistance of Marxism (in the academy). Marx thought nations were a product of recent history. He said they would disappear. Marxists believed this, but there was a problem: nations weren't disappearing. So instead of facing the fact that nations are ancient and very, very persistant, Marxist began to investigate when they (supposedly) appeared to show that they were temporary. It they were "invented" recently, then maybe they would disappear sometime soon. No surprise that they found what they were looking for--"imagined communities."