Reviews

Michael Billing makes a provocative argument in a field that, as he rightly points out, takes the idea of the nation for granted. He provides a compelling answer to the postmodern claim that nationalism is waning. Also, in a masterful demonstration of the application of the study of banal nationalism, he identifies the underlying inconspicuous nationalist thread in the seemingly cosmopolitan work of Richard Rorty.
One can certainly admire Biling's effort to exemplify how nationalism is reproduced insidiously, on an everyday basis. To that end he discusses the importance of symbols like coins and flags, the language adopted by politicians, and that appropriated even by left leaning media. However, there is a certain randomness in the examples provided, that make the book feel very repetitive at times.