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Primordialism for Scholars Who Ought to Know Better: Anthony D. Smith’s Critique of Modernization Theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Alexander Maxwell Open the ORCID record for Alexander Maxwell [Opens in a new window]
Alexander Maxwell*
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
*
*Corresponding author. Email: alexander.maxwell@vuw.ac.nz
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Abstract

A theory of nationalism should explain the evidence provided by the historical record, but also provide unexpected insight. The modernist theory of nationalism, espoused among others by Benedict Anderson and Eric Hobsbawm, provides a surprising chronology of nationalism’s modernity. The modernization theory of nationalism has attracted extensive criticism from Anthony Smith, who proposed instead a theory he called “ethnosymbolism.” This article considers Smith’s critique of Anderson and then his critique of Hobsbawm, finding that Smith’s objections to modernist theorists rest on mischaracterizations, fallacies, and contradictions. Smith’s approach caters to the primordialism rampant in public opinion, providing scholarly respectability to popular misconceptions. Scholars of nationalism should look instead to Rogers Brubaker for guidance.

Keywords

ethnosymbolismAnthony D. SmithBenedict AndersonEric Hobsbawm

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Article
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Nationalities Papers , Volume 48 , Issue 5 , September 2020 , pp. 826 - 842
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© Association for the Study of Nationalities 2020

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