Nationalism, individualism, and capitalism: Reply to Greenfeld
Title:
Nationalism, individualism, and capitalism: Reply to Greenfeld
Author:
Breckman, Warren Tragårdh, Lars
Appeared in:
Critical review
Paging:
Volume 10 (1996) nr. 3 pages 389-407
Year:
1996
Contents:
Reversing the arguments of Anderson, Gellner, and Hobs-bawm, Liah Greenfeld contends that it is nationalism that produces economic development. Specifically, she claims that nationalism inspired three seminal economic thinkers: Marx, List, and Smith. However, Greenfeld's ideological preferences lead her to a problematic conception of individualism as nationalism, as well as to flawed treatments of Smith, List, and Marx. Nationalism is better understood as an attempt to address the deepening conflict between the imperative of community and the secular trends of the marketplace, which challenge national sovereignty and democracy.
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