Nation, Imperialism, and Capitalism : A Critique

Exploring the interdependence of capital accumulation with imperialist tendencies and nationalism, this book investigates the workings of contemporary capitalism.

Exploring the interdependence of capital accumulation with imperialist tendencies and nationalism, this book investigates the workings of contemporary capitalism. By systematically addressing nationalism and the imperialist tendencies inherent in capitalist social formations – to expand economically, politically, and ideologically beyond their state territory – the book poses questions as follows: Does nationalism fuel imperialism? Or, in the case of less developed countries, is it an obstacle to the imperialist policies of the big powers and international capital? Does nationalism necessarily encourage irredentism and ethnic cleansing? Is the nation an outcome of the historical era of capitalism as a system of class domination and exploitation? Conversely, can nationalism ever be a vehicle for the social liberation of the working classes in the era of ‘globalisation’ and ‘financialisation’? In addressing these questions, the book highlights class relations of domination and exploitation, the contradictions of their expanded reproduction, the increasing role of finance, and the economic and geopolitical imbalances and conflicts that characterise current international relations. The book will be of great interest to readers in the social sciences across economic history, history of economic thought, political economy, Marxist theory, political science, state theory, international economics, and development studies.