Faith in Nation: Exclusionary Origins of NationalismCommon wisdom has long held that the ascent of the modern nation coincided with the flowering of Enlightenment democracy and the decline of religion, ringing in an age of tolerant, inclusive, liberal states. Not so, demonstrates Anthony W. Marx in this landmark work of revisionist political history and analysis. In a startling departure from a historical consensus that has dominated views of nationalism for the past quarter century, Marx argues that European nationalism emerged two centuries earlier, in the early modern era, as a form of mass political engagement based on religious conflict, intolerance, and exclusion. Challenging the self-congratulatory geneaology of civic Western nationalism, Marx shows how state-builders attempted to create a sense of national solidarity to support their burgeoning authority. Key to this process was the transfer of power from local to central rulers; the most suitable vehicle for effecting this transfer was religion and fanatical passions. Religious intolerance--specifically the exclusion of religious minorities from the nascent state--provided the glue that bonded the remaining populations together. Out of this often violent religious intolerance grew popular nationalist sentiment. Only after a core and exclusive nationality was formed in England and France, and less successfully in Spain, did these countries move into the "enlightened" 19th century, all the while continuing to export intolerance and exclusion to overseas colonies. Providing an explicitly political theory of early nation-building, rather than an account emphasizing economic imperatives or literary imaginings, Marx reveals that liberal, secular Western political traditions were founded on the basis of illiberal, intolerant origins. His provocative account also suggests that present-day exclusive and violent nation-building, or efforts to form solidarity through cultural or religious antagonisms, are not fundamentally different from the West's own earlier experiences. |
Contents
1 History and Arguments | 3 |
2 Amassing State and Gathering Storm | 33 |
3 Founding Exclusions | 73 |
4 Interregnums of Coexistence and StateBuilding | 113 |
5 Cohesion by Exclusion Redux from Above | 143 |
6 Superimposing Democratic Inclusion on Forgotten Exclusions | 165 |
7 Angel of History and Patron Saint of Nationalism | 191 |
Notes | 207 |
239 | |
251 | |
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Common terms and phrases
According allegiance antagonism argued attempted authority basis become bolster building built Cambridge Catherine Catholic Catholicism central century challenge Charles church civil cohering cohesion common conflict consolidated crown democracy directed discord divided domestic earlier early early modern Edict effect efforts elites emerged empire engagement England English Europe evident exclusion faith fear focus force foreign forged France French fully further greater Henri History hold Huguenots identity imperative inclusive Inquisition institutional interest internal intolerance James John king king’s kingdom largely later laws least less liberal London loyalty mass monarchs national unity noble Parliament particular passions past peace political Popery popular possible Protestant Protestantism reinforced relative religion religious remained resistance result rising royal rule secular seen selective social solidarity sought Spain Spanish spread state-building Stuart subjects suggests tolerance turned unified University Press violence Wars York