Nationalism and Territory: Constructing Group Identity in Southeastern EuropeWhy do nations come into conflict? What factors lead to the horrors of ethnic cleansing? This timely book offers clear-eyed answers to these questions by exploring how national identity is shaped by place, focusing especially on Serbia, Hungary, and Romania. Moving beyond studies of nationalism that consider only the economic and geostrategic value of territory, George W. White shows that the very core of national identity is intimately bound to specific places. Indeed, nations define themselves in terms of spaces that have historical, linguistic, and religious meaning, as Serbs have clearly demonstrated in Kosovo. These territories are concrete expressions of a nationAIs identity, both past and present. With his detailed analysis of the places that define national identity in Southeastern Europe, White convincingly shows why territorial disputes so often escalate into war. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Nation in Its Spatial Context | 15 |
Southeastern European Nationalism in Its Temporal and Spatial Context | 45 |
Hungary and the Hungarians | 67 |
Romania and the Romanians | 119 |
Serbia and the Serbs | 179 |
Conclusion | 249 |
| 265 | |
| 297 | |
About the Author | |
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Alba Iulia Albania Alföld annexed areas army Austrian Balkans Banat Battle became began Belgrade Besarabia Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnian Bucovina Bulgarian Central and Eastern Church core territories Crişana Croatia Current State Boundaries Dacian Daco-Roman Dalmatia Danube defined Dobrogea Dušan's Empire E.A. Linholm Eastern Europe ethnic groups example exist Figure geographical German Giurescu Greek Hapsburg human identity Hungarian government Hungarian Kingdom Hungarian national identity Hungary's imperial important independence individuals Jelavich Kosovo Macedonia Magyar modern Romanian Moldavia Montenegro nation-state national territory nationhood northern Orthodox Ottoman Empire periphery place and territory political region ritory River Romanian government Romanian national identity Romantic nationalism Romantic nationalists Russian Ruthenia semi-core territories sense of territory Serbia Proper Serbian government Serbian leaders Serbian national identity Serbian nationalists Serbs significant Slavic Slovakia South Slavs Soviet spatial Srem struggle tenacity factor Transdanubia Transylvania Treaty Uniate Vojvodina Vojvodina and Srem Walachia Walachia and Moldavia Western World Yugoslav Yugoslavia