The Sociology Editorial Team recently held an online panel discussion to mark the publication of their new special issue, Nationalism’s Futures. The panel, which included journal editors Vanessa May, Helen Holmes and Shaminder Takhar, as well as several of the special issue authors, considered the role of sociology in making sense of nationalism.

“At a time when nationalist sentiment is on the rise, this special issue takes stock of how sociology can contribute to understanding the past, present and future of nationalism. In contrast to declarations of ‘the end of history’, which was also meant to herald increasing integration due to a lowering of cultural and national barriers, nationalism never went away. The articles in this collection engage with the question of nationalism at a theoretical and empirical level and in different regional contexts, assessing how national boundaries are drawn and policed, how national identities are formed and the myriad political and everyday consequences of nationalism.

In our call for papers for this special issue, we invited authors to consider how we as sociologists can make sense of and theorise contemporary forms of nationalist ideologies and policies, and the consequence of these. The articles in this issue shed light on a number of dimensions of nationalism and how sociology can help understand nationalism’s past, present and future.”

Vanessa May (University of Manchester, UK), Bridget Byrne (University of Manchester, UK), Helen Holmes (University of Manchester, UK), Shaminder Takhar, London South Bank University, UK – Co-Editors of Sociology

Excerpt from May V, Byrne B, Holmes H, Takhar S. Introduction: Nationalism’s Futures. Sociology. 2020;54(6):1055-1071. doi:10.1177/0038038520969316

Read the full special issue here.

Twitter: @VanessaLKMay @BridgetByrne3 @DrHEHolmes @ShaminderTakha1