
Language and Nationalism in Europe
Oxford University Press
Published on 3. January 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
332 pages
978-0-19-925085-1 (ISBN)
Description
This book examines the role of language in the present and past creation of social, cultural, and national identities in Europe. It considers the way in which language politics may sometimes reinforce national identity (as in France), or sometimes tend to undermine the nation-state (as in Spain). After an introduction describing the interactive roles of language, ethnicity, culture, and institutions in the character and formation of nationalism and national identity, the book considers their different manifestations throughout Europe.
This is an accessible investigation of a subject of perennial importance in European culture and politics. It will be of equal interest to political scientists, historians, and sociolinguists. Chapters by leading scholars are devoted to Britain and Ireland; France; Spain and Portugal; Scandinavia, Iceland, and Finland; the Netherlands and Belgium; Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg; Italy; Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic; Bulgaria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; Greece and Turkey; the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic States, and the Russian Federation. The book concludes with a consideration of the relative status of the languages of Europe and how these, and the identities they reflect, are changing and evolving.
This is an accessible investigation of a subject of perennial importance in European culture and politics. It will be of equal interest to political scientists, historians, and sociolinguists. Chapters by leading scholars are devoted to Britain and Ireland; France; Spain and Portugal; Scandinavia, Iceland, and Finland; the Netherlands and Belgium; Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg; Italy; Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic; Bulgaria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; Greece and Turkey; the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic States, and the Russian Federation. The book concludes with a consideration of the relative status of the languages of Europe and how these, and the identities they reflect, are changing and evolving.
Reviews / Votes
All of the papers are based on the contributors' own research in different parts of Europe, which adds a fresh perspective to the presentations ... Language and Nationalism in Europe is an exceptional collection of essays which should become essential reading for anyone interested in exploring the different roles language has played in the rise of nation-states in Europe. * Language * Providing a useful introduction to how the linguistic map of Europe has altered over two millennia. * Nations and Nationalism * A highly readable and insightful collection. * Political Studies * This book gives an insight into why, historically, it has been so difficult to maintain a particular language and how some have even come to constitute a barrier to communication. * Times Higher Education Supplement *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
4 maps
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
512 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-925085-1 (9780199250851)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Stephen Barbour | Cathie Carmichael
Language and Nationalism in Europe
Book
12/2000
Oxford University Press
€271.60
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Stephen Barbour is a lecturer in German at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. His research and teaching focus chiefly on German language and the linguistics of German, but also include sociolinguistic issues in several areas, particularly in northern Europe. His publications include Variation in German, with Patrick Stevenson (1990; German edn. 1998), and a number of papers on language and nationalism.
Cathie Carmichael teaches contemporary European history at Middlesex University. A specialist in the cultural history of south-eastern Europe, she is co-author (with James Gow) of Slovenia: A Small State in the New Europe (2000), and has published articles on popular culture and travel literature. She is currently working on a history of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, which will appear in 2001.
Cathie Carmichael teaches contemporary European history at Middlesex University. A specialist in the cultural history of south-eastern Europe, she is co-author (with James Gow) of Slovenia: A Small State in the New Europe (2000), and has published articles on popular culture and travel literature. She is currently working on a history of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, which will appear in 2001.
Editor
Lecturer in GermanLecturer in German, University of Oxford
Lecturer in Contemporary HistoryLecturer in Contemporary History, Middlesex University
Content
1. Nationalism, Language, Europe ; 2. Britain and Ireland: The Varying Significance of Language for Nationalism ; 3. France: 'One State, One Nation, One Language?' ; 4. The Iberian Peninsula: Conflicting Linguistic Nationalisms ; 5. Northern Europe: Languages as Prime Markers of Ethnic and National Identity ; 6. The Low Countries: A Study in Sharply Contrasting Nationalisms ; 7. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg: The Total Coincidence of Nations and Speech Communities? ; 8. Language and Nationalism in Italy: Language as a Weak Marker of Identity ; 9. Contrasting Ethnic Nationalisms: Eastern Central Europe ; 10. 'A People Exists and that People has its Language': Language and Nationalism in the Balkans ; 11. Greece and European Turkey: From Religious to Linguistic Identity ; 12. Coming to Terms with the Past: Language and Nationalism in Russia and its Neighbours ; 13. Conclusions: Language and National Identity in Europe ; References ; Index