The Break-Up of Britain

Crisis and Neo-Nationalism

Tom Nairn, Anthony Barnett

$39.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Verso Books
03 August 2021

History; European history; British & Irish history; Nationalism; Political structures: democracy

In this classic text, first published in 1977, Tom Nairn memorably depicts the ‘slow foundering’ of the United Kingdom on the rocks of imperial decline, constitutional anachronism and the gathering force of civic nationalism.

Rich in comparisons between the nationalisms of the British Isles and those of the wider world, thoughtful in its treatment of the interaction between nationality and social class, The Break-Up of Britain concludes with a bravura essay on the Janus-faced nature of national identity. Postscripts from the Thatcher and Blair years trace the political strategies whose upshot accelerated the demise of a British state they were intended to serve.

As a second Scottish independence referendum beckons, a new Introduction by Anthony Barnett underlines the book’s enduring relevance.

By: Tom Nairn
Introduction by: Anthony Barnett
Imprint: Verso Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 3rd New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 377g
ISBN: 9781781683200
ISBN 10: 1781683204
Pages: 464
Publication Date: 03 August 2021
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Tom Nairn's many books include The Break-up of Britain, Faces of Nationalism, After Britain, and The Enchanted Glass. He writes for, among others, New Left Review and the London Review of Books.

Reviews for The Break-Up of Britain: Crisis and Neo-Nationalism

The most forceful and original mind to confront, demask and anatomise the British state. -Neal Ascherson, London Review of Books A luminous guide to the morbidities unleashed by the relentless machinery of post-imperial decline. -Paul Gilroy Tom Nairn pioneered critical retrospect of the United Kingdom, and scandalised people by looking forward calmly to its disintegration. -Perry Anderson A creative intellectual toolkit for a political emergency, assisting Scots, Welsh and English democrats alike to finally break the chains of Westminster. -Hilary Wainwright Densely and brilliantly argued ... original and perceptive. -Economist Burning-glass of a mind ... disconcerting in its withering contempt not only for the British state but for everything associated with it. -Guardian Vitriolic wit ... The method is resolutely materialist. -Time Out The intellectual godfather of modern Scottish nationalism. -Herald