This major new work by Professor Anthony D. Smith challenges the notion of nationalism as a product of modernity.

• Major new work by a leading historical sociologist
• Challenges the prevailing idea of nationalism as a product of modernity
• Demonstrates that different political forms of community and collective identity from pre-modern times have contributed to the formation and character of nations
• Analyzes the chronology and nature of nations, from the ancient world, to the European Middle Ages, the early modern, and the modern eras
• Discusses alternative destinies facing modern nations today

Anthony D. Smith is President of the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is author of numerous works on nationalism including The Ethnic Origins of Nations (Blackwell, 1986), Chosen Peoples: Sacred Sources of National Identity (2003) and The Antiquity of Nations (2004). He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nations and Nationalism.