Ethnicity and Nationalism ─ Anthropological Perspectives

In Ethnicity and Nationalism, Thomas Hylland Eriksen demonstrates that far from being an immutable property of groups, ethnicity is a dynamic and shifting aspect of social relationships. Drawing on a wide range of classic and recent studies in anthropology and sociology, Eriksen examines the relationship between ethnicity, class, gender and nationhood, as well as current issues of racism, globalization and multiculturalism. Influential theories are presented and critically compared in a lucid and comprehensive manner. A core text for all students of social anthropology and related subjects, Ethnicity and Nationalism has been a leading introduction to the field since its original publication in 1993. New topics in this edition include cultural property rights, the role of genetics in the public understanding of identification, commercialisation of identity, and the significance of the internet.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. He is the author of numerous books, including Small Places, Large Issues; Tyranny of the Moment; and Globalisation, all available from Pluto Press.