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Review title: A classic
Product review: Though Anthoney D. Smith and others have attacked Gellner's classic work, it still remains THE book explaining the birth of nations. In brief, Gellner's theory holds that the rise appearance of capitalism made national formations necessary. When people from radically different "low cultures" came together in the new industrial cities of Europe, a cultural bond became necessary. Grouping society into national units served this need by creating "high cultures".Smith, who provides the principle opposition to Gellner's theory argues that nations "have navels"--that is, they are created from previously existing "ethnae." Unfortunately for Smith, historical evidence actually suggests that nations do not, in fact, have navels. Thus, Gellner's theory is correct. Well written and accessible to the non-academic, Nations and Nationalism is a must read for anybody concerned with the creation of the most important political ideology in the world today.
