An unusual group of 23 writings, mostly pre-World War II, by
nationalists mostly unfamiliar to American readers. The editor
thumbnails them in his febrile, quirky, eruditely digressive and
very long introduction. In some cases, however - Koraes the
nineteenth-century Greek nationalist, Gandhi, the Taipings - key
figures get much more than a thumbnail. Kedourie argues with close
if erratic reasoning against prevalent conceptions of Third World
nationalism (as a reaction to economic imperialism, development
needs, or alien rule), preferring a combination germ theory and
frustrated-elite explanation. Islamic and Black African documents
illuminate his point that nationalism co-opts religion. The "search
for a past" to amplify and justify nationalist sentiments is
displayed by Indian and Turkish writers, as well as Blyden's 1871
demonstration of the fabulous accomplishments of ancient Negroes.
Violence emerges as a third theme in, e.g., the memoir of Chanekar,
an Indian assassin, and a lengthy Fanon extract. Other African
selections include a remarkable description of rites and oaths by a
Mau Mau leader and a manifesto of Nkrumah's student society.
Nationalism in power is represented by an excerpt from a 1930's
Japanese manual for teachers. Apart from Fanon and Blyden, the only
"standards" are Sun Yat-Sen and Garvey, plus three Bolshevik
position papers which somewhat compensate for Kedourie's scanty
treatment of the opposition between anti-capitalists nationalism
and class-struggle socialism. It's an odd book, not "comprehensive"
in any sense, but potentially worthwhile for industrious students
of history and ideology. (Kirkus Reviews)
Published in the year 1974, Nationalism in Asia and Africa is a
valuable contribution to the field of Middle Eastern Studies.
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