num_pages: 320
description: Ranging widely across countries and centuries National Thought in Europe critically analyzes the growth of nationalism from its beginnings in medieval ethnic prejudice to the romantic's belief in a national soul. A fertile pan-European exchange of ideas often rooted in literature led to a notion of a nation's cultural individuality that transformed the map of Europe. By looking deeply at the cultural contexts of nationalism Joep Leerssen not only helps readers understand the continent's past but he also provides a surprising perspective on contemporary European identity politics.
language: English
title: National Thought in Europe: A Cultural History
publisher: Amsterdam University Press