Citizenship, Nationality and Ethnicity: Reconciling Competing Identities

"Professor Oommen's new work ought to be required reading for sociologists, politicians and demagogues. Starting with the truth that conceptualization is the parent of almost all thinking about society, he brings exceptional clarity to the frequently muddied discourse about state, nation, race, ethnicity, religion and other related ideas. Shunning simplification and conflation in favour of complexity, Oommen avoids the parochialism and myopia so often found in writings about primordial groupings. The extent of his historical and comparative sweep is especially admirable. So, too, is his development of the notion of ethnification and homogenization, which lends a dynamic element to his analysis - also in happy contrast to the 'eternal' and 'timeless' emphasis in much of the literature on citizenship, nationality, ethnicity and race." Neil J. Smelser, Director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioural Sciences

"This book is written in simple language and is therefore useful for lay readers in addition to the specialists ... the book is a work of outstanding scholarship." Social Action

"This important new book from a distinguished Indian sociologist seeks to grapple with questions of ethnicity and nationality through a detailed exercise of conceptual clarification. An impressively vast historical and comparative canvas forms the background and basis of this attempt at sweeping away the dusty cobwebs of historical and sociological scholarship, and disentangling the often confused discourse around these concepts." Economic and Political Weekly

"There is considerable wisdom in Oommen's argument ... illustrated with a wide range of examples." American Journal of Sociology