Nationalism and Ethnicity in the Horn of Africa: A Critique of the Ethnic Interpretation (African Studies, 62)

Much of the theoretical material explaining the causes of secession focus on the expression of ethnic demands, believing that nationalism is rooted in ethnicity. Jacquin-Berdal (international relations, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) examines this theory in regard to the 1991 secessions of Eritrea and Somaliland by asking what secession reveals about the nature of nationalism and the nation. She presents a critique of the ethnonationalist interpretation that is based upon explaining the emergence and consolidation of nationalism in the Horn of Africa as being primarily driven by colonial statehood formation and war. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)