This book examines the role of language in the present and past creation of social, cultural, and national identities in Europe. It considers the way in which language politics may sometimes reinforce national identity (as in France), or sometimes tend to undermine the nation-state (as in Spain). After an introduction describing the interactive roles of language, ethnicity, culture, and institutions in the character and formation of nationalism and national identity, the book considers their different manifestations throughout Europe. This is an accessible investigation of a subject of perennial importance in European culture and politics. It will be of equal interest to political scientists, historians, and sociolinguists. Chapters by leading scholars are devoted to Britain and Ireland; France; Spain and Portugal; Scandinavia, Iceland, and Finland; the Netherlands and Belgium; Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg; Italy; Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic; Bulgaria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Albania, Slovenia, Romania, Croatia, Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; Greece and Turkey; the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic States, and the Russian Federation. The book concludes with a consideration of the relative status of the languages of Europe and how these, and the identities they reflect, are changing and evolving.

About the Author
Stephen Barbour is a lecturer in German at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. His research and teaching focus chiefly on German language and the linguistics of German, but also include sociolinguistic issues in several areas, particularly in northern Europe. His publications include Variation in German, with Patrick Stevenson (1990; German edn. 1998), and a number of papers on language and nationalism. Cathie Carmichael teaches contemporary European history at Middlesex University. A specialist in the cultural history of south-eastern Europe, she is co-author (with James Gow) of Slovenia: A Small State in the New Europe (2000), and has published articles on popular culture and travel literature. She is currently working on a history of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, which will appear in 2001.

Reviews
All of the papers are based on the contributors' own research in different parts of Europe, which adds a fresh perspective to the presentations ... Language and Nationalism in Europe is an exceptional collection of essays which should become essential reading for anyone interested in exploring the different roles language has played in the rise of nation-states in Europe. * Language *
Providing a useful introduction to how the linguistic map of Europe has altered over two millennia. * Nations and Nationalism *
A highly readable and insightful collection. * Political Studies *
This book gives an insight into why, historically, it has been so difficult to maintain a particular language and how some have even come to constitute a barrier to communication. * Times Higher Education Supplement *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199250851
Author Stephen Barbour
Format Paperback
Page Count 332
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 515g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 18mm