Books in the Nationalisms Across the Globe series

Memories of the Second World War play an important role in contemporary politics and society across Eastern Europe. One of the most controversial yet least studied pages of Ukraine's wartime history is that of the Waffen SS 'Galicia' Division, whose members are usually portrayed either as war criminals or as freedom fighters. The history of this unit is not limited to the Ukrainian context; it also has relevance throughout Eastern Europe, as well as in Britain, Canada and the USA. In the aftermath of the war, the 'Galicia' Division surrendered to British and American troops, but was not repatriated to the USSR, despite Soviet demands. Instead, its members were brought to the UK and eventually allowed to settle in the West, and this unexpected turn of events continues to cause much controversy. This book explores why over 8,000 members of the Waffen SS were allowed to move permanently to the West, by analysing the complex series of events and decisions that characterized the journey of the 'Galicians' from capitulation to acceptance into civilian life. Drawing on a rich range of different sources, the book examines the variety of often conflicting narratives created by the Division members, their supporters and their opponents, as well as the continuing influence of these narratives today. In doing so, the book sheds light on the complex processes of memory politics.

Nach fast vier Jahrzehnten, in denen eine mögliche Vereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten BRD und DDR kein aktuelles Hauptthema war, avancierte es im Herbst 1989 ganz überraschend zu einer Schlüsselfrage europäischer Politik. Der Autor versucht aufzuzeigen, wie der deutsche Einigungsprozess im nationalen und internationalen Rahmen in Gang gesetzt wurde. Im Mittelpunkt der Studie steht nicht nur eine differenzierte Analyse der inneren und äußeren Bestimmungsfaktoren dieses Prozesses, sondern auch eine systematische Erörterung der Interessen und Perzeptionen der Siegermächte beziehungsweise der östlichen und westlichen Nachbarstaaten Deutschlands. Dabei wird deutlich, dass eine Vereinigung der beiden deutschen Staaten nur im Kontext einer schrittweisen Vertiefung und Erweiterung der EU-Integration mit Ansätzen für eine gesamteuropäische Perspektive möglich war. Dieses Buch ist eine Übersetzung des polnischen Originals «Od status quo do Planu Kohla» welches 2005 an der Universität Oppeln erschienen ist. Übersetzer: Jens Frasek.

This book analyses the concept of patriotism and the contestation over its meaning in key public debates in Poland over the last twenty-five years. It focuses on the strategies used to define, re-shape and bend the notion of patriotism, which during this period has become a central issue in Polish political discourse. Contemporary Polish society is characterized by a growing polarization of the public sphere. Rivalry between former communists and former dissidents has been progressively replaced by internal opposition within the ranks of once-dissident allies, now divided into civic-minded critical patriots and nationalist-oriented traditional patriots. This division re-emerges regularly during key moments in Polish public life - most recently in the aftermath of the highly contested 2015 parliamentary elections. By tracing the evolution of the debate over patriotism since 1989, this book provides crucial insights into the current political situation.

This book argues that the "international community" created and managed the dysfunctional state of Bosnia and Herzegovina by effectively rewarding ethnic cleansing, drawing up a transitional constitution which encouraged ethnification. It offers a radical new perspective on post-war state-building in the Balkans.

This book argues that postnational and postsovereign multi-level governance regimes, including the EU, are mechanisms of global capitalism aimed at privatizing democracy. Through detailed analysis of the Basque case, it illustrates how democratization is closely linked to territory, collective empowerment and institutional political capacity.

Drawing upon the arguments and insights of an array of scholars, many based in Zimbabwe, this book offers an analysis of the grotesque character of Zimbabwean nationalism, a nationalism that has provoked ambivalent responses locally, regionally and internationally.

The Kashubs, a regional autochthonous group inhabiting northern Poland, represent one of the most dynamic ethnic groups in Europe. This scholarly monograph focuses on the history, culture and language of the Kashubs to be published in English since 1935.

This book argues that power struggles between internal and diasporic elites play a central role in building political agendas that shift national borders. It takes Albania as the primary case study, examining how the understanding of the Albanian nation has taken on different geographical borders over time and among different communities.

What gives this banal cliche such irresistible attraction? How does East-West symbolism interact with other symbolic geographies? This book examines East-West rhetoric in several different historical contexts, seeking to problematize its implicit assumptions and analyse its consequences.

This book addresses the themes of language, identity and linguistic politics in Europe, drawing on approaches and methodologies from a range of disciplines from socio- and contact linguistics to cultural history, psychology and policy studies. It makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the linguistic landscape of today's Europe.

The crisis that has engulfed Zimbabwe since 2000 is not simply a struggle against dictatorship. This book traces the role of politicians and public intellectuals in media, civil society and the academy in producing and disseminating a politically usable historical narrative concerning ideas about patriotism, race, human rights and sovereignty.

This book explores non-territorial autonomy (NTA), an important modality of ethnic and religious diversity management. It addresses issues such as the limits and possibilities of implementing NTA models in liberal democracies, the ways in which NTA can serve the goals of European integration, and the role of NTA in resolving territorial conflicts.

This book examines the attitudes of tertiary students in Melanesia and Timor-Leste to national identity and key issues of nation-building. Their views are pivotal to understanding the challenges of building a more cohesive sense of national identity and political community in these states. Melanesian countries show a relatively high degree of similarity in their responses to the surveys on national identity carried out by the authors, but with key differences attributable to particular historical, regional or linguistic legacies of colonial rule. The ongoing importance of traditional authority and kastom/adat in conceptions of political community and identity is evident in all four case study sites, and in each case matches indicators of respect for modern state authority. Although different for each site, the authors' findings also illustrate the importance of students' geographical region of origin, language orientation and gender in explaining key differences in attitudes towards national identity. The book demonstrates that strong levels of national identification and pride persist among the future leaders of the countries surveyed, even in the face of ongoing regional and linguistic divisions and weak state capacity, suggesting a strong potential basis for nation-building agendas if wider challenges of democratic performance, service provision and regional development can be addressed over time.

In this volume, a range of local and international scholars explore bilateral relations between Romania and Hungary and look at the entangled history of their two peoples. Going beyond traditional nation-centred narratives, the contributors approach the shared pasts of Romanians and Hungarians within a transnational research framework.

Contested Ethnic Identity

Under what conditions do ethnic minorities become violent? How credible are the theories of relative deprivation and greed in explaining the outbreak of conflict? Is the use of coercive diplomacy a superior alternative to direct military forms of intervention? This book provides an analytical account of the socio-economic roots of ethnic conflict.

This book explores the emergence of national identities among the Indigenous peoples of North America. It examines the problems Native communities have faced in asserting themselves as nations and broadens our understanding of Native American nationalism, including a variety of political, educational, sociological, cultural and literary viewpoints.

This book discusses the way globalization transforms national identity, through detailed analysis of two very different groups of Polish migrants in Manchester: those who settled there after the Second World War and those who arrived after Poland joined the European Union in 2004.

Basque self-determination was long curtailed by political violence. In 2011, ETA announced a permanent cessation of operations. This book describes the contemporary re-imagining of Basque nationhood in both Spain and France. It explores the new debates that emerged since the demise of non-state militancy and analyses local transformations.