Brief description
Aims to study the concept of 'nation' as understood by different individuals and communities in the past and historians in the present. Central themes are concerned with the component elements of the concept, notably with how far the idea is 'imagined' or 'constructed' and by whom; with the way in which communities shape and re-shape themselves; with the relationship between the rise of the state and the emergence of nations; and with the development of nationalism as an ideology. These are explored over a chronological span from the Middle Ages to the present day in relation to Western and non-Western societies and policies. A major concern is to examine the question of national identity in relation to Britain and its component nations with the special focus upon Wales. A D Smith's National Identity (Penguin Books, 1991) is used as a core text.