This book focuses on transformations of political culture from times past to future-present. It defines the meaning of political culture and explores the cultural values and institutions of kinship communities and dynastic intermediaries, including chiefdoms and early states. It systematically examines the rise and gradual universalization of modern sovereign nation-states. Contemporary debates concerning nationality, nationalism, citizenship, and hyphenated identities are engaged. The authors recount the making of political culture in the American nation-state and look at the processes of internal colonialism in the American experience, examining how major ethnic, sectarian, racial, and other distinctions arose and congealed into social and cultural categories. The book concludes with a study of the Holocaust, genocide, crimes against humanity, and the political cultures of violation in post-colonial Rwanda and in racialized ethno-political conflicts in various parts of the world. Struggles over legitimacy in nation-building and state-building are at the heart of this new take on the important role of political culture.

This book focuses on transformations of political culture from times past to future-present. It defines the meaning of political culture and explores the cultural values and institutions of kinship communities and dynastic intermediaries, including chiefdoms and early states. It systematically examines the rise and gradual universalization of modern sovereign nation-states. The authors recount the making of political culture in the American nation-state and look at the processes of internal colonialism in the American experience, examining how major ethnic, sectarian, racial, and other distinctions arose and congealed into social and cultural categories.

"In the past quarter century, the United Nations, the United States and other world powers have embarked on a range of ambitious humanitarian interventions designed to promote peace, reconciliation and recovery in societies mired in civil conflict. The overall success of these efforts has been modest, with setbacks resulting from a failure of policy-makers to appreciate and understand the role of political culture in the ambitious task of "nation-building." Political Culture and the Making of Modern Nation-States affirms the importance of that role through a rich and highly engaging exploration of the relationships between culture, governance and legitimacy. It offers critical lessons for practitioners, as well as extremely valuable perspectives for students and scholars." -Eric P. Schwartz, Dean, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota "Weisband and Thomas have written a book that is conceptually profound, empirically rich and broad in its implications. . . .They explore the dynamics of identity construction and examine their political consequences across a range of cases. En route, they unpack the concept of culture, show its transformation in the modern world, offer two enlightening case studies of genocide, and one of post 9/11 nation building." -Richard Ned Lebow, King's College London, University of Cambridge, and Dartmouth College Emeritus