Taking as an example the encounter of Marxism with nationalism in colonial India, explores how the two ideas became inextricably intertwined in much of the colonial world. Critically examines political documents to trace how people devoted to socialism came to see nationalism as the essential feature of the non-west, and how that conception changed Marxism in India and throughout the world. Acidic paper. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
'Nimni has written an innovative and rigorous book, important for his critique and his detailed exposition...rich and perceptive' Dr Fred Halliday, Fortnight'A fascinating discussion of nation, state and language...Nimni's (book) is, as (Ernesto) Laclau says, an excellent book which will become a necessary reference point for all those interested in the field' Peter Beilharz in Thesis Eleven'A necessary reference point for all those interested in its field' Ernesto LaclauNimni presents the reader with a lucidly argued and arranged histoy of the unhappy marriage between Western Marxists and the Nationalities question. He effectively places these social and political theories in their historical context in the attempt to understand them on their own terms. Perhaps more importantly, Nimni points out the usefulness of Marxist theory (or perhaps the fallibility of "liberal" theory) for an understanding of the contemporary disintegration of "nationalities" in Eastern Europe. He therefore poses an intelligent implicit criticism of Fukuyama's smug assertion of the triumph of liberalism in the last twentieth century. Finally, Nimni crucially addresses the epistemological and logical framework of Marxism and to his credit, discusses the little-explored area of the relationship between Marxist and liberal thought. Australian journal of Politics & History, Vol.41, No.3 (1995)This is a book that will be particularly useful to those interested in the contribution to the study of nationalism by the Australian socialist, Otto Bauer. ...this book is a welcome addition to the literature on socialism and nationalism and particularly for the chapters of Bauer. Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism XXII, No 1-2
Really Existing Nationalisms challenges the conventional view that Marx and Engels lacked the theoretical resources needed to understand nationalism. It argues that the two thinkers had a much better explanatory grasp of national phenomena than is usually supposed, and that the reasoning behind their policy towards specific national movements was often subtle and sensitive to the ethical issues at stake. Instead of offering an insular 'Marxian' account of nationalism, the book identifies arguments in Marx and Engels' writings that can help us to think more clearly about national identity and conflict today. These arguments are located in a distinctive theory of politics, which enabled the authors to analyse the relations between nationalism and other social movements and to discriminate between democratic, outward-looking national programmes and authoritarian, ethnocentric nationalism. Erica Benner suggest that this approach improves on accounts which stress the `independent' force of nationality over other concerns, and on those that fail to analyse the complex motives of nationalist actors. She concludes by criticising these 'methodological nationalist' assumptions and 'post-nationalist' views about the future role of nationalism, showing how some of Marx and Engels' arguments can yield a better understanding of the national movements that have emerged in the wake of 'really existing socialism'. This new edition includes a new introduction.
This study examines the relationship between the two dominant ideologies which emerged in the 19th century: Karl Marx's communism and Friedrich List's theory of nationalism. List was the first economist to be studied seriously by Marx. Three years before publication of the "Communist Manifesto" Karl Marx began work on a critique of a movement that was gaining popularity as a challenge to capitalism - nationalism, as put forth by the German economist Friedrich List. Long regarded as a major cultural and political force in 19th-century Europe, nationalism was in fact to become directly involved in the conflict between capitalism and socialism, offering an appealing alternative to capitalism's "New World Order" - the doctrine of Free Trade - and socialism's call for a worldwide unification of the workers against the bourgeoisie. In this original new work Professor Szporluk offers a major reinterpretation of Marxism's historical development - one that recognises nationalism as the third contender on the battlefield where Marxism met capitalism. A bold new interpretation of Marx's intellectual biography, showing how the history of Marx and Marxism is to a great extent the story of their confrontation with nationalism before 1848.
Study of historical political theory and social theory, with particular reference to late 19th-century and early 20th-century nationalist, socialist and communist ideology - covers the theory of hegel, marx, engels, bakunin, lassalle and others, and refers to political party and trade union activities, labour movements and other social movements, national level and international aspects, social leadership, political leadership, etc. Bibliography pp. 237 to 243, and references.
The book constitutes an attempt by Marxist political economy to extricate itself from mistaken attempts to conflate it with the cultural turn, identity politics, bourgeois economics, or varieties of populism and nationalism, together with the danger of not doing so.
