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"Benedict Anderson';s 1983 masterpiece Imagined Communities is a ground-breaking analysis of the origins and meanings of "nations" and "nationalism". A book that helped reshape the field of nationalism studies, Imagined Communities also shows the critical thinking skills of interpretation and analysis working at their highest levels. One crucial aspect of Anderson';s work involves the apparently simple act of defining precisely what we mean when we say 'nation'; or 'nationalism';--an interpretative step that is vital to the analysis he proceeds to carry out. For Anderson, it is clear that nations are not 'natural;'; as historians and anthropologists are well aware, nations as we understand them are a relatively modern phenomenon, dating back only as far as around 1500. But if this is the case, how can we agree what a 'nation'; is? Anderson';s proposed definition is that they are "imagined communities"--comprising groups of people who regard themselves as belonging to the same community, even if they have never met, and have nothing in common otherwise. The analysis that follows from this insight is all about examining and breaking down the historical processes that helped foster these communities--above all the birth of printing, and the development of capitalism. Brilliantly incisive, Anderson';s analysis shows how good interpretative skills can form the foundations for compelling and original insight."--Provided by publisher.

Nationalism --- History. --- Anderson, Benedict R. O'G.

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"Nineteenth-century American politician John C. Calhoun occupies a paradoxical place in the history of political thought -- and of critical thinking. On one hand, he is remembered as a committed advocate of slavery, consistently espousing views that are now considered indefensible and abhorrent. On the other, the political theories that Calhoun used to defend the social injustice of slavery have become the basis of the very systems by which modern democracies defend minority rights. Despite being crafted in defence of a system as unjust as slavery, the arguments that Calhoun expressed about minority rights in democracies in A Disquisition On Government remain an excellent example of how problem solving skills and reasoning can come together. The problem, for Calhoun, was both specific and general. As matters stood in the late 1840s, the majority of American states were anti-slavery, with only the minority, Southern states remaining pro-slavery. This boiled down to a crucial issue with democracy: the US government should not, Calhoun argued, only respect the wishes of the majority. Instead, democratic government must aim to harmonize diverse groups and their interests -- governing, in so far as possible, for everyone. His analysis of how the Southern states could protect what he saw as their right to keep slaves led Calhoun to formulate solutions to the problem of 'the tyranny of the majority' that have since helped defend far worthier minority views."--Provided by publisher.

Nullification (States' rights)