History and National Destiny

This volume celebrates Anthony D. Smith’s path-breaking contribution to the study of nations and nationalism. Its objective is to assess and debate various issues concerning the ethno-symbolic approach propounded by him. Ethnosymbolism stands in opposition to the modernist approach underpinning constructivist and instrumentalist theories of nations and nationalism. It argues that such theories fail ‘to accord any weight to the pre-existing cultures and ethnic ties of the nations that emerged in the modern epoch’ (Smith 1999: 9). In Smith’s words: ‘For ethno-symbolists, what gives nationalism its power are the myths, memories, traditions, and symbols of ethnic heritages and the ways in which a popular living past has been, and can be, rediscovered and reinterpreted by modern nationalist intelligentsias. It is from these elements of myth, memory, symbol and tradition that modern national identities are reconstituted in each generation, as the nation becomes more inclusive and as its members cope with new challenges’ (Smith 1999: 9). According to Anthony D. Smith, the basic themes or motifs derived from the claims made by ethno-symbolism are: