This a study of national identity in a plural society, Malaysia is a plural society divided by racial, linguistic, and religious cleavages. It had attempetd to forge a national identity overriding these primordial identities. This study probes the extent to which national identity exists among these groups. It also attempts to detect the relationship between national identity and political attitudes towards the nation and political knowledge.
The essays in this book focus attention on the role of political groups in the new functioning and development of the new African societies and the political systems of which they are a part. The authors, all recognized authorities, have sought to identify and compare the manifestations of the general tendency among the new states of Tropical Africa toward the establishment and consolidation of one-party political systems, and to examine, in the light of this general trend, the different dimensions of the problem of integration. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.
Nationalist theories are still controversial, while the process and frequent failures of national integration are issues of central importance in the contemporary world. Birch's argument is illustrated by detailed and topical case studies of national integration in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia: the United Kingdom, with the Welsh, the Scots, the Irish and the coloured minorities; Canada, with its Anglo-French tensions, its cultural pluralism and its indigenous peoples claiming the right of self-government; Australia, with its increasing ethnic diversity and its failure to integrate the Aborigines.
While it may be difficult to achieve and maintain stable democratic governments in countries with deep religious, ideological, linguistic, cultural, or ethnic cleavages, Lijphart argues that it is not at all impossible. Through the analysis of political systems in six continents, he demonstrates that what he calls consociational democracy can be successful in severely divided or plural societies. "Here, once again, Arend Lijphart is directing our attention to matters which will surely engage much of the attention of students of comparative politics in the next decade." G. Bingham Powell, Jr., American Political Science Review "A study which can speak to such a wide audience in political science deserves a warm welcome from the profession." Government and Opposition "A copybook example of the comparative method of political analysis, as well as indispensable reading for all who have an interest in the nature and prospects of representative democracy, whether in Europe or beyond."--The Times Higher Education Supplement "This well-written work, containing a wealth of information on politics of many diverse nations, is highly recommended."--Library Journal
"This study was widely acclaimed as the first definitive analysis of the disintegration of Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh. It presents a scholarly explanation of why the policies of the Pakistani ruling elites, especially the policies and institutional innovations of the Ayub regime (1958 - 1968), which often seemed so promising to observers abroad, were in fact the prelude to the break up of Pakistan. The study shows that by emphasizing state building and economic growth and de-emphasizing nation building and development of political institutions, the Ayub regime created a crisis in political management. The Pakistani ruling elites' persistent refusal to allow democratic political institutions to function resulted in the exclusion of Bengalis from the national decision making process. The denial of their just claims led Bengalis to fight for autonomy initially and ultimately for independence." "The book, first published in 1972 by Columbia University Press, is being reprinted as part of UPL's Road to Bangladesh series. It will be of use to the new generation of readers to refresh memories about the failed policies and politics of the Pakistani ruling elites and the vision of democratic and secular politics for which the nationalist struggle was waged in Bangladesh."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
