Prof's Choice By Professor Raymond Hall

AUTONOMY, LEGITIMACY, AND ZERO-SUM GAMES.

Liah Greenfeld, Nationalism:Five Roads to Modernity (Harvard University Press, 1992)—Arguing that we cannot tally comprehend today's world without a clear understanding of the dynamics of nationalism from the sixteenth century onwards, Greenfeld concentrates on the evolution of nationalism in England, France, Russia, Germany, and the United States.

Morton H. Halperin and David J. Schefter, with Patricia L. Small, Self-determination in the New WorldOrder (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1992)—Exposing the roots of two contradictory trends in the international system—the increasing integration and cooperation among existing states and the push for autonomy by ethnonationalists in numerous multinational states—this policy-oriented study suggests criteria the United States should use in determining the legitimacy of and support for insurgency around the world.

Ernest Gellner Nations andNationalism (Cornell University Press, 1983)—drawing on his lucid command of philosophy, sociology, intellectual history, and social anthropology, Gellne rsuccinctly explains why nationalism is such a prominent principle of political legitimacy in today's world.

Cornel West, Race Matters (Beacon Press, 1993)—While conflict among American ethnic groups of European descent seems—remarkably—to have disappeared as a national issue, West's deeply moving book hauntingly reminds the United States how far it has yet to go in dealing seriously and effectively with race in the most racially diverse state in the modern world.

Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall, ChainReaction: The Impact of Race, Rights,and Taxes on American Politics (Norton, 1992)— A feast for anyone interested in the dynamics of American politics today, this book explains how the zero-sum game is played out nationally—and what race has to do with it.

Benjamin Ringer, "We thePeople" and Others: Duality andAmerica's Treatment of its RacialMinorities (Tavistock Publications, 1983)—Arguing that the treatment of non-white racial minorities stems from a divide between America's public ideology and individuals' private beliefs and behaviors, this exhaustive study presents many previously neglected government materials, including debates and testimonies by senators, representatives, and citizens.

Raymond Hall