Negotiating National Identities: Between Globalization, the Past and 'the Other'

Negotiating National Identities presents an empirically detailed and theoretically wide-ranging analysis of the complex political and cultural struggles taking place in contemporary Europe. Taking contemporary Austria and her controversial identity politics as its central case study in a discussion of developments across a variety of national and pan-European contexts, this book demonstrates that neo-nationalism has been one among several competing reactions to the processes and challenges of globalization, whilst inclusive notions of identity and belonging are shown to have emerged from the realms of civil society and cultural production. Shifting the study of national identities from the party-political to the social, cultural and economic realms, this book raises important questions of human rights, social exclusion and ideological struggle in a globalizing era, drawing attention to the contested nature of European politics and civil societies, in which existing configurations of power and exclusion are both reproduced and challenged. As such, it will be of interest to anyone working in the fields of race and ethnicity, national identity and media and cultural studies.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Chapter 1 Paradigms of Identity; Chapter 2 National Symbols and Histories in Crisis; Chapter 3 The Past, The Present, Nation-states and Europe; Chapter 4 Markets and Nations: Of Flows and Solidarities; Chapter 5 Counter-Hegemony: Universal Human Rights Versus Exclusive Citizen Entitlements; Chapter 6 Everyday Politics: Self–Other Relationships and Lived Ambivalences; Chapter 7 ‘The Other’: Representations Of and By; conclusion Conclusion;

About the Author :
Christian Karner is a Lecturer in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. His research and publications centre on the negotiation of ethnic, national and religious identities and on urban sociology. He is author of Ethnicity and Everyday Life, and The Thought-World of Hindu Nationalism, and co-author Writing History, Constructing Religion.

Review :
' A penetrating study of the ambivalences of contemporary national identities, and their negotiation under processes of globalization. Karner explores lucidly the discourses of national identity articulated in contemporary Austria, and contextualizes this by reference to Austria's social, cultural, and political history. The analysis is highly engaging, and the book should garner widespread interdisciplinary interest.' Joseph Burridge, University of Portsmouth, UK 'At a time when tensions are brimming between globalization, mass migration, multiculturalism and nationalism, Christian Karner’s analysis is a welcome one. This book offers a bold critique of simplistic assumptions not only about Austria, but also about Europe: of how and to what effect identities are negotiated, protected and fought over. Karner’s masterful analysis is an invaluable resource for understanding how globalization, the past and the other reveal the complexities of everyday life, politics and culture.' Mónica Moreno Figueroa, Newcastle University,UK