“Imagine the rarely found political philosopher who continually invites the facts of the paradoxes of our existence to properly complicate political philosophy, and you have fortunately found Bernard Yack. For Yack, to understand the moral psychology of the nation as a form of the social friendship of community, one must take into account the complexity that is expressed in the historical relation between nationality and the liberal tradition, including the dilemma of the moral value of what Yack calls “contingent communities.” In this measured, sensible, and convincing analysis of nationalism and its relation to popular sovereignty, one has a valuable contribution that moves our understanding of nationality and nationalism forward.”

 

 

 

Steven Grosby, author of Nationalism: A Very Short Introduction

“In this nuanced, sophisticated work, Bernard Yack directs his attention to the theoretical study of nationalism, arguing that the continued prevalence of nationalist loyalties constitutes a practical challenge to the alleged contemporary ascendancy of liberal values over primordial notions of communal collective being. This thoughtful work will greatly enrich readers’ understanding of the political community, helping them to grasp the ways in which even the most abstract universal political principles are historically and culturally rooted. Highly recommended.”

Choice

 “The study of nationalism is addicted to dichotomies: civic versus ethnic, lateral versus demotic, political versus cultural, voluntaristic versus organic, and so forth. It is understandable. Considering a multifaceted phenomenon with so many diverse manifestations, managing the data by categorization is a natural human response. Nationalism and the Moral Psychology of Community by Bernard Yack should be adopted as one of the steps needed to cure us of this addiction.”

Perspectives on Politics

“This important book takes up some of the most significant explanatory and normative questions posed by the persistence of nationalism. . . . Normative political theorists will benefit especially form the breadth of Yack’s scholarship, his deeper than usual engagement with nationalism studies, and his innovative mapping of the conceptual terrain.”

Political Studies Review

“This is an excellent and far-reaching book, . . . [and it] fills an important gap in the political theory literature which has hitherto tended to ignore nationalism. . . . Yack’s highly plausible explanation for the recurring power of nationalism in the modern era answer a number of questions that continue to preoccupy scholars.”

Review of Politics

“Yack has written one of the most interesting and thoughtful books about nationalism that I have read in a long time. The book is a fine achievement, and it should be read by anybody who wants to understand the deeper origins of the ethical dilemmas that nationalism poses for us today.”

Political Theory

“An insightful book that prompts the reader to redefine some of the basic understandings that liberals use to argue against nationalism.”

Ethnic and Racial Studies

“Yack, an eminent political theorist, . . . synthesize[s] many of the debates, clarif[ies] the issues, and offer[s] a more adequate, integrated theory of nationalism. He offers a well-written, sophisticated argument that we need to better understand communities and the ‘moral psychology’ that animates them. . . . For scholars who are working on nationalism, especially theoretical questions concerning morality, this book may be quite useful in trying to conceptualize nations, peoples, and nationalism, or considering the debates between primordialists and modernists, popular democracy and support for illiberal forms of governance.”

Contemporary Sociology