Spatial Conceptions of the Nation

Modernizing Geographies in Greece and Turkey

Caglar Keyder editor Thalia Dragonas editor Nikiforos Diamandouros editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:30th Jan '10

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Spatial Conceptions of the Nation cover

How nationalists imagined the borders of their desired territory, and how they defined the 'nation' have determined the nature of the struggle. This book looks at the various aspects and stages of this process in Greece and Turkey - two states where alternative principles establishing the basis for territory and population compete.

The formation of nation-states is as much the result of developments regarding land and people, as of military and political struggle. How nationalists imagined the borders of their desired territory, and how they defined the 'nation' have determined the nature of the struggle. "Spatial Conceptions of the Nation" looks at the various aspects and stages of this process in Greece and Turkey - two states where alternative principles establishing the basis for territory and population continue to compete. This book considers the intellectual and political conditions within which variously demarcated national spaces were imagined and considers the debates, social forces, and world-historical events that have affected national boundaries and conceptions of the 'nation'.

'One could hardly think of a better and more fruitful playground for social scientists and historians than the troubled and intertwined past of Greece and Turkey as territorial nation states... the complexity of the process through which these two nation states have been thought, imagined, invented, represented, and eventually implemented is such that it still legitimately attracts a wide range of scholarly interest and activity in the humanities and social sciences... [In this book] the theme selected is that of space and geography, clearly essential factors in the construction and definition of national projects...[and it] is an excellent sequel to the ongoing conversation between social scientists and historians working on Greece and Turkey. The novelty and thoroughness of the studies undertaken make this project a most remarkable and viable one in terms of its likely contribution to, and impact on, the relevant fields of scholarship.' - Edhem Eldem, Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History, Bogazici University; '...The principal common element in the [chapters], the emphasis in the mixture and interaction of history and geography, as applied to a region peculiarly rich in both, proves especially productive. And the totality of the essays included illuminate in interesting (and often original) manner the history and relations of the two peoples principally involved - the Greeks and the Turks -and the ways in which they have interacted and influenced one another over the past two centuries.' - A. A. Fatouros, Emeritus Professor of International Law, University of Athens

ISBN: 9781848851313

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

320 pages