Since 1989 neo-nationalism has grown as a volatile political force in almost all European societies in tandem with the formation of a neoliberal European Union and wider capitalist globalizations. Focusing on working classes situated in long-run localized processes of social change, including processes of dispossession and disenfranchisement, this volume investigates how the experiences, histories, and relationships of social class are a necessary ingredient for explaining the re-emergence and dynamics of populist nationalism in both Eastern and Western Europe. Featuring in-depth urban and regional case studies from Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Italy and Scotland this volume reclaims class for anthropological research and lays out a new interdisciplinary agenda for studying identity politics in the intensifying neoliberal conjuncture.
"This is an excellent volume?[that] offers major theoretical and ethnographic insights not just with reference to neoliberal processes but also to the general understanding of state transformations?The overall theme of the book - the importance of bringing class back into anthropological concerns - and a shift away from culturalist/essentialist understandings (especially in relation to nationalism) is well-taken and developed. The book will be a major contribution towards reasserting the importance of an attention to class-based discussion." · Bruce Kapferer, University of Bergen
"[A] must-read. In the best tradition of Eric Wolf and Sydney Mintz, this book is a powerful example of the anthropological rethinking of class analysis that is necessary for grasping the contradictions of post-Cold War globalization. With Kalb's penetrating introductory essay and the urban case studies from across Europe, it addresses one of the most challenging issues of our time - the power of the new right." · Ida Susser, Hunter College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York
"[A]n extremely responsible engagement with the important issues of our time. It is throbbing with relevance and edgy in its provocations. Kalb's introductory essay is a tour de force, which shows how the various contributions add up to more than the sum of the parts. It will secure a wide readership in the social sciences, history, and cultural studies." · Gavin Smith, University of Toronto
