New Book: Nationalism on the Internet

22 October 2019

Book

In this timely book, critical theorist Christian Fuchs asks: What is nationalism and what is the role of social media in the communication of nationalist ideology?

Advancing an applied Marxist theory of nationalism, Fuchs explores nationalist discourse in the world of contemporary digital capitalism that is shaped by social media, big data, fake news, targeted advertising, bots, algorithmic politics, and a high-speed online attention economy. Through two case studies of the German and Austrian 2017 federal elections, the book goes on to develop a critical theory of nationalism that is grounded in the works of Karl Marx, Rosa Luxemburg, and Eric J. Hobsbawm.

Advanced students and scholars of Marxism, nationalism, media, and politics won’t want to miss Fuchs’ latest in-depth study of social media and politics that uncovers the causes, structures, and consequences of nationalism in the age of social media and fake news.

This book is dedicated to the socialists, humanists, anti-authoritarians, anti-fascists, and anti-nationalists of the world. If they unite, they can save humanity from the dangers of barbarism and war that are immanent to capitalism.

Review copy (include address, phone, journal where book will be reviewed)

Table of Contents

Chapter One – Introduction: Nationalism Today
PART I – Foundations of a Marxist Theory of Nationalism
Chapter Two – Bourgeois Theories of Nationalism
Chapter Three – Marx’s Concept of Nationalism
Chapter Four – Otto Bauer’s and Rosa Luxemburg’s Opposing Theories of the Nation and Nationalism
Chapter Five – Contemporary Marxist Theories of Nationalism
PART II – Nationalism on Social Media
Chapter Six – German Nationalism on Social Media in the 2017 Elections to the Bundestag
Chapter Seven – Online Nationalism and Social Media Authoritarianism in the Context of the ÖVP/FPÖ Government in Austria
Chapter Eight – Conclusion: Towards a Society of the Commons beyond Authoritarianism and Nationalism
References
Index