"A brilliant, long-range sociological study . . . This fascinating exploration through three centuries of the frontier is rounded off with a perceptive and balanced appraisal of the nature of national identity within the context of the Pyrenees . . . . This is a study which is exciting, learned and thought-provoking, a splendid example of interdisciplinary history at its best." --Henry Kamen, Times Literary Supplement

 

"Peter Sahlins gives us a magnificent lesson in interdisciplinary scholarship on a very basic theme: how the identity of individuals, their families, and their villages on both sides of the boundary has been shaped by their belonging to two different states--states whose development, moreover, has proceeded very differently. I had always hoped for a study of the 'boundary phenomenon,' and Peter Sahlins' work has answered my wish." --Pierre Vilar, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales

 

"I can see this book finding a privileged place on the shelves of European historians. Beyond this it will certainly be of interest to anthropologists, sociologists, and other concerned with the problems of ethnicity; and it should excite the interest of political scientists as well." --Eric R. Wolf, City University of New York