Part I. Preface; Part II. Introduction: 1. Theory; 2. Case studies; Part III. Theory: 3. Meaning; 4. Mortality; 5. Morality; 6. Liberty; 7. Language; Part IV. The French Canadians: 8. The Canadiens: the emergence of an endangered ethnie; 9. The French Canadians: the rise and demise of ethno-religionism; 10. The Québécois: the rise and demise of ethnonationalism; Part V. Jews and Zionists: 11. Ontological insecurity: Jewish identity in modernity; 12. Epistemic insecurity: Jewish and Zionist survival in question; 13. Existential threats: Zionism's 'holes in the net'; 14. Existential threads: the lifelines of Zionism; Part VI. The Afrikaners: 15. Ontological insecurity: the birth of the Afrikaner ethnie; 16. Epistemic insecurity: Afrikaner survival in question; 17. Existential threats: Afrikanerdom's 'holes in the net'; 18. Existential threads: the lifelines of Afrikanerdom; 19. The twilight of apartheid and its aftermath.
This book answers how mortality and morality figure and intertwine in the life and death of nations - both in theory and in practice.
Uriel Abulof is an Assistant Professor of Politics at Tel-Aviv University and a senior research fellow at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs/Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (LISD). He is the author of Living on the Edge: The Existential Uncertainty of Zionism, which won the Bahat Prize, Israel's most prestigious academic book award. Abulof studies political legitimation, nationalism and ethnic conflicts. His articles have appeared in journals such as International Studies Quarterly, International Political Sociology, Nations and Nationalism, The British Journal of Sociology, Ethnic and Racial Studies and International Politics.
'Uriel Abulof offers a fascinating exploration of the existential
challenges faced by what Milan Kundera has dubbed 'small nations' -
ethnonational communities that experience a profound sense of
collective fragility. Theoretically ambitious and empirically rich,
The Mortality and Morality of Nations delves into the
self-understandings of the French Canadians of Québec, the
Afrikaners of South Africa, and Israeli Jews to explain how common
fears of national demise compel them to seek diverse means to
bolster the moral foundations of their nationhood. This lucidly
written study makes a unique contribution to our knowledge of
politics, morality and security.' Matthew Evangelista, author of
Gender, Nationalism, and War: Conflict on the Movie Screen
(Cambridge, 2011)
'An unusual and impressive mix of theory and empirical research
that helps us make sense of the ways in which nations deal with
threats to their existence as distinct communities.' Bernard Yack,
Lerman-Neubauer Professor of Democracy, Brandeis University,
Massachusetts
'What Uriel Abulof has succeeded in doing is to take issues of
political morality out of the ethereal philosophical plane and
demonstrate how deeply embedded they are in the day-to-day rhetoric
and practice of nationalism. While the primary focus here is on
small, existentially vulnerable nations, the implications are
sweepingly global, for in an age of nuclear deterrence, global
terrorism, and environmental threats, the sense of existential
dread extends to all peoples, large and small. This book is an
intellectually ambitious undertaking of deep originality. It holds
profound significance for our understanding of the interplay
between ethics and identity in the politics of self-determination.'
Aviel Roshwald, Georgetown University, Washington DC
'Uriel Abulof has written an original and deeply insightful
comparison of three 'small peoples' - Israeli Jews, Afrikaners and
Québecois - whose ethnic boundary-construction has been informed by
a state of existential insecurity. As well written as it is timely,
Abulof's book is essential reading for students of comparative
politics, nationalism and conflict resolution.' Derek Penslar,
University of Oxford
'This innovative study of 'small nation nationalism' focuses on a
subjective sense of vulnerability rather than size. Uriel Abulof
analyzes and compares three cases, using methods which make
accessible mass data on popular and elite discourse. This enables
him to offer persuasive arguments about such key questions as: who
are we? Why are we? Will we continue to be? How will we continue to
be? This illuminating publication should encourage similar
investigations into other relevant cases.' John Breuilly, London
School of Economics and Political Science
'The Mortality and Morality of Nations is a sophisticated and
imaginative analysis of the debate over national survival, which is
one that dominates the politics of deeply divided societies. On the
one hand, there is the demand that national survival be safeguarded
by any means and regardless of moral qualms. On the other hand,
there is the insistence that a system based on injustice will, over
the longer run, destroy a nation's soul. Uriel Abulof illuminates
the severe tensions between imperatives of morality and mortality.'
Hermann Giliomee, Professor Emeritus, University of Cape Town
'Rich in empirical detail and thoroughly grounded in political
theory and philosophy, Uriel Abulof has written a deeply
fascinating study of how small nations cope with challenges and
threats to their survival and offers an inspired and telling
comparison of French Canadians, Jews and Zionists, and Afrikaners
that offers compelling insights into how small nations' collective
identities and polities evolve and survive, over time.' Stefan
Wolff, Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, University
of Birmingham
'In this highly original and fascinating book, Uriel Abulof draws
attention to the role of ethnic groups and nations as subjects of
the human quest for enduring meaning, sense of identity, and moral
purpose that transcend transient individual existence. His subtle
and elegant discussion of three cases - the French Canadians,
Israeli Jews and Afrikaners - reveals the distinct and changing
identity-defining frames and ethical discourses that each of these
communities has evolved in its struggle to legitimize and
self-justify its place in the world.' Azar Gat, author of Nations:
The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity and
Nationalism (2013)
'[This] book, The Morality and Morality of Nations, offers a
political scientist tackling some core issues about the nature of
social and political groupings. It is a mixture of broad theorizing
and in-depth historical analysis, and will be of interest to
sociologists concerned with comparative historical processes and
might generate interesting hypotheses for current cross-cultural
work.' Steven Hitlin, Social Forces
'With The Mortality and Morality of Nations, [Abulof] manages to
unsettle received truths on ethnonationalism, never shying away
from comparisons that are as insightful as they are provocative.
This is a timely book and an illuminating journey into the troubled
world of ethnonationalists.' Niklas Plaetzer, The Review of
Politics
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