Description

Why do some violent conflicts endure across the centuries, while others become dimly remembered ancient struggles among forgotten peoples? Is nationalism really the powerful force that it appeared to be in the 1990s? This wide-ranging work examines the conceptual intersection of nationalist ideology, social violence, and the political transformation of Europe and Eurasia over the last two decades. The end of communism seemed to usher in a period of radical change-an era of "extreme politics" that pitted nations, ethnic groups, and violent entrepreneurs against one another, from the wars in the Balkans and Caucasus to the apparent upsurge in nationalist mobilization throughout the region. But the last twenty years have also illustrated the incredible diversity of political life after the end of one-party rule. Extreme Politics engages with themes from the micropolitics of social violence, to the history of nationalism studies, to the nature of demographic change in Eurasia. Published twenty years since the collapse of communism, Extreme Politics charts the end of "Eastern Europe" as a place and chronicles the ongoing revolution in the scholarly study of the post-communist world.

Features

• The essays collected in this volume represent nearly two decades of intensive research on ethnicity, nationalism, and violence in the post-Cold War world.
• Written by a leading scholar of contemporary ethnic conflict
• Synthesizes, in a creative, user-friendly manner, research on topics that are usually studied in isolation.
• Coincides with twentieth anniversary of the end of Communist system in eastern Europe

Reviews

"King's treatment of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union is thoughtful"--Foreign Affairs

"A breathtaking and almost encyclopaedic review of the literature on nationalism, social violence, and the particularities of Eastern Europe in relation to those issues...In addition to the extensive literature review, the book provides solid foundations for the study of the role of institutions, political entrepreneurs and other micro-social categories in triggering violence...the book will appeal not only to academics, but also to practitioners, policy-makers and general readers interested in these topics."--INternational Affairs

"Charles King's book is primarily aimed at an academic audience, for whom this is clearly a must read. But there are so many worthwhile insights that even the lay reader interested in what has been going on in this fascinating part of the world will gain much of benefit as well."--Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs

"In this elegantly written collection of essays, Charles King offers a knowledgeable and intelligent excursion through the politics of nationalism, violence, post-communism, and the relationship between historical analysis and social scientific inquiry. King has given us not only a creative theoretical synthesis of the scholarship in these fields, but also fresh insight into the dynamics of politics and identities in a rapidly changing region of the world."--Mark Beissinger, Professor of Politics, Princeton University

"With a steady hand, sharp style, and deep insight, Charles King revisits postcommunist Europe and Eurasia to explore when, why, and how nationalism turns violent. A superb demonstration and a welcome reminder of the benefits gained from a serious and deep engagement with context and history."--Stathis Kalyvas, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Program on Order, Conflict, and Violence, Yale University

Product Details

256 pages; 20 b/w illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-537037-9ISBN10: 0-19-537037-6

About the Author(s)