Download or read book National Thought in Europe written by Joseph Theodoor Leerssen and published by Amsterdam University Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ranging widely across countries and centuries, National Thought in Europe critically analyzes the growth of nationalism from its beginnings in medieval ethnic prejudice to the romantic era’s belief in a national soul. A fertile pan-European exchange of ideas, often rooted in literature, led to a notion of a nation’s cultural individuality that transformed the map of Europe. By looking deeply at the cultural contexts of nationalism, Joep Leerssen not only helps readers understand the continent’s past, but he also provides a surprising perspective on contemporary European identity politics.