We Cannot Escape History: Nations, States and Revolutions

(Paperback)

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These essays focus on the two great themes of nation and revolution, and the third which links them: the state. Ranging from the extent to which nationalism can be a component of left-wing politics to the difference between bourgeois and socialist revolutions, the book concludes with an extended discussion of the different meanings history has for conservatives, radicals and Marxists.

Reviews

Praise for How Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions: "I was frankly pole-axed by this magnificent book. Davidson resets the entire debate on the character of revolutions: bourgeois, democratic, and socialist. He's sending me, at least, back to the library." Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums "This is, quite simply, the finest book of its kind." Tony McKenna, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books Praise for Holding Fast to an Image of the Past: Essays on Marxism and History: This is Neil Davidson at his very best. In a sparkling set of essays, Davidson offers a conceptually sophisticated and historically wide-ranging analysis of the work of classical and contemporary political thinkers. . . . In terms of its depth of learning it stands in comparison with Perry Anderson's Zone of Engagement. An essential read. Satnam Virdee, professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow Holding Fast to an Image of the Past is illuminating, authoritative, and sometimes very funny . . . this new collection fruitfully combines wide-ranging erudition with vivid vignettes." Bridget Fowler, emeritus professor of Sociology, University of Glasgow
Praise for How Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions: "I was frankly pole-axed by this magnificent book. Davidson resets the entire debate on the character of revolutions: bourgeois, democratic, and socialist. He's sending me, at least, back to the library." Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums "This is, quite simply, the finest book of its kind." Tony McKenna, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books Praise for Holding Fast to an Image of the Past: Essays on Marxism and History: This is Neil Davidson at his very best. In a sparkling set of essays, Davidson offers a conceptually sophisticated and historically wide-ranging analysis of the work of classical and contemporary political thinkers. . . . In terms of its depth of learning it stands in comparison with Perry Anderson's Zone of Engagement. An essential read. Satnam Virdee, professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow Holding Fast to an Image of the Past is illuminating, authoritative, and sometimes very funny . . . this new collection fruitfully combines wide-ranging erudition with vivid vignettes." Bridget Fowler, emeritus professor of Sociology, University of Glasgow

Author Bio

Neil Davidson: Neil Davidson is the author of The Origins of Scottish Nationhood (2000), Discovering the Scottish Revolution (2003), for which he was awarded the Deutscher Prize, and How Revolutionary Were the Bourgeois Revolutions (2012). Davidson lectures in Sociology in the School of Political and Social Science at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.