Nations Matter: Culture, History, and the Cosmopolitan Dream Craig Calhoun Craig Calhoun, one of the most respected social scientists in the world, re-examines nationalism in light of post-1989 enthusiasm for globalization and the new anxieties of the twenty-first century. Nations Matter argues that pursuing a purely postnational politics is premature at best and possibly dangerous. Despite all the evils perpetrated in its name, nationalism is not a mere moral mistake. It is crucial to most existing democracy. It provides solidarity vital to projects of social inclusion and distributive justice. It offers potential for integration across lines of ethnic and other differences. It supports investment in public institutions rather than privatization. Nations are also bases for contesting neoliberal versions of globalization that threaten social institutions built through generations of struggle. Rather than wishing nationalism away, it is important to transform it. One key is to distinguish the ideology of nationalism as fixed and inherited identity from the development of public projects that continually remake the terms of national integration. Standard concepts like 'civic' vs. 'ethnic' nationalism can get in the way unless they are critically re-examined - as an important chapter in this book does. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of sociology, history, political theory and all subjects concerned with nationalism, globalization, and cosmopolitanism. Craig Calhoun is University Professor of the Social Sciences at New York University and president of the Social Science Research Council.