Rousseau and Imagined Communities
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-5-2009
Publication Title
The Review of Politics
DOI
10.1017/S0034670500034690
Abstract
Rousseau's relationship to the phenomenon of modern nationalism is a consistent theme of political theory and the history of ideas. This article argues that Rousseau's thought can be seen as providing the foundation for nationalism even if he would not have endorsed it. That Rousseau's thought bears this relationship to nationalism can be seen by reexamining his argument through the lens of Benedict Anderson's concept of nations as imagined communities. Rousseau's account of political psychology, sovereignty, and the proper limits of the nation provide the core of the analysis of this question.
Recommended Citation
Engel, Steven.
2009.
"Rousseau and Imagined Communities."
The Review of Politics, 67 (3): 515-537: Cambridge University Press.
doi: 10.1017/S0034670500034690 source: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/rousseau-and-imagined-communities/AB696FD96A62719C5783E98300B42DB7
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/poli-sci-facpubs/101
