This is a comparative study of nationalism and nation-building in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland. All are historic nations within larger states. Nationalism is presented as a mechanism for dealing with the place of the territorial society in the new order. It is no longer concerned with the creation of a traditional nation state but with maximizing autonomy in a world where the nation state has lost its old powers and status.
'This is a path-breaking book...In Nations against the State , Keating offers a well-argued and stimulating anaysis of nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland. This book will be essential reading for scholars of nationalism and students in the fields of sociology and politics.' - Montserrat Guibernau, Nations and Nationalism