The book contains much that is interesting and novel: an illuminating exploration of how research in cognitive psychology can inform our understanding of ethno-national identity; an essay on the return of a soft version of assimilation as a desideratum for immigrants in the West; a trenchant critique of the use of the ethnic/civic distinction in nationalist studies; a rich analysis ... Read moreof how the 1848 revolutions were commemorated in 1998 in Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia; and a sensible review of the literature on nationalist and ethnic violence. The analysis is lucid and well written throughout and makes for a worthwhile collection...Brubaker is to be commended for producing a stimulating mix of history, politics, and sociology.
Bill Kissane Ethics and International Affairs The chapters of Rogers Brubaker's excellent new book are a stimulating collection of essays and articles, several of them co-authored, which were published between 1999 and 2004. The book takes its title from Chapter One Ethnicity without Groups , an elegant critique of the reification of ethnic groups...A fine book by a distinguished author.
Steve Fenton Ethnic and Racial Studies [I]ts main messages concern how to think and talk about ethnicity: shake off the conceptual and analytical confusions that have made the subject a trap for unwary enthusiasts. Wisely, scrupulously, and concretely, Rogers Brubaker provides guidance for avoiding the trap.
Charles Tilly Sociological Forum Show Less