Books by Michael Hechter

Recent years have seen a resurgence of separatist sentiments among national minorities in many industrial societies, including the United Kingdom

Recent years have seen a resurgence of separatist sentiments among national minorities in the UK. This book presents the social basis of ethnic identity, and examines changes in the strength of ethnic solidarity in the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Social scientists have long recognized that solidarity is essential for such phenomena as social order, class, and ethnic consciousness, and the provision of collective goods. In presenting a new general theory of group solidarity, Michael Hechter here contends that it is indeed possible to build a theory of solidarity based on the action of rational individuals and in doing so he goes beyond the timeworn disciplinary boundaries separating the various social sciences.