What exactly is nationalism? How did it come about? And what does design have to do with national identity? Tomas van den Heuvel, curator of the exhibition Designing the Nation State, recommends a number of books on nationalism, culture and design. This way you can explore the history of these themes in even greater depth, before or after your visit.
Nationalism – Eric Storm
Nationalism is unmistakably on the rise. Recent election victories by populist politicians around the world, including The Netherlands, make this abundantly clear. When did this phenomenon emerge and how did it evolve? Why did the French Revolution mark the starting point, and why have we seen a resurgence of nationalism since the collapse of the Soviet Union? In Nationalism, historian Eric Storm describes the history of this phenomenon and its often far-reaching consequences.
Design and National Identity – Javier Gimeno-Martínez
How does national identity influence disciplines such as product design, graphic design and even fashion design? Drawing on a wide range of examples – from postage stamps in Russian-occupied Finland to Coca-Cola as an ‘American’ symbol in Trinidad and Tobago – design historian Javier Gimeno-Martínez shows how deeply culture, politics and design are intertwined. This book demonstrates how national identity and cultural policy have shaped design.
Imagined Communities – Benedict Anderson
What can drive people to kill or die for a country? According to anthropologist and political scientist Benedict Anderson, the idea of nation-building originated in the colonisation of the Americas, but was subsequently adopted and transformed by populist movements in nineteenth-century Europe. In this book, Anderson examines how ideas are formed and reformulated at every level: from high politics to popular culture, and how they can drive people to do extraordinary things.
The Invention of Tradition – Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger
Contrary to what one might expect, many traditions are relatively recent. In this book, historians Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger examine the invention of modern traditions – such as the creation of Welsh and Scottish ‘national culture’, the elaboration of British royal rituals in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the attempts of radical movements to develop their own counter-traditions.
Banal Nationalism – Michael Billig
Why do people never forget their national identity? That is the question social psychologist Michael Billig poses in this book. While much research into nationalism focuses on its extreme manifestations, Billig turns his attention to the everyday, less visible forms of nationalism. In doing so, he examines, among other things, how nationalism is continuously reinforced in daily life through the media, via ordinary symbols and language.
Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality – E. J. Hobsbawm
Nations and Nationalism Since 1780 is Eric Hobsbawm’s widely acclaimed exploration of nationalism. The second edition of the book also incorporates events in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics, as these underline the central importance of nationalism in the history of political evolution. It also includes additional maps illustrating nationalities, languages and the various political divisions in Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Nations and Nationalism – Ernest Gellner
In this book, philosopher and social anthropologist Ernest Gellner examines the concept of nationalism from a social perspective. Drawing on a range of disciplines – including philosophy, anthropology, sociology, political science and history – Gellner argues that nationalism is an unavoidable consequence of modernity.