Books in the Inventing the Nation series

A new study of the creation of French history, experience and identity since the Revolution.

This book examines the process through which China constructed itself as a modern state. It examines the complex relationship between nationalism and imperialism that made China as a nation so unique.

'What is a German's fatherland?' This has arguably been the central question of modern German history. Germany explains the diverse ways in which national identity has been constructed over more than three centuries.

Part of the successful 'Inventing the Nation' history series, this book provides an authoritative and compelling history of Spain in the modern period. Humlebæk places a strong emphasis on the construction of the Spanish national identity and looks at how this identity has emerged and survived amidst the tensions created by the competing, distinct regional identities that exist within the country. Language and language policy, decisive factors in the development of these tensions, are thoroughly examined as Carsten Humlebæk explores the history of Spain along with the very nature of what it is to be Spanish.Beginning with the Napoleonic invasion and the annexation of Spain in 1808, Humlebæk traces Spain's political history through to the present day. He considers the impact of events like the Spanish Civil War and regimes like that of the Restoration on the Spanish sense of national identity before contemplating the future for Spain as a nation-state.This book is the ideal volume for all students of history interested in the modern history of Spain.

This book examines the realities of Italy as a nation, and offers a detailed discussion of its historical development.

This book provides a fascinating history of Ireland, focusing on the ways in which the nation has been depicted by competing interests, from political factions to religious groups to commercial powers.

'India and Pakistan' provides an historical understanding of the chequered process of nation-building in the subcontinent. In particular, Talbot examines the role of 'parochial' allegiances and the impact of contemporary processes of economic and cultural globalisation on nationalist and localist allegiances.

This extensive analysis of Russian national identity spans three centuries of Russian cultural history to place post-communist Russia within a broad historical background. Combining a rich historical study with a rigorous analytical framework, the book is an essential tool for understanding contemporary Russia.