Benedict Anderson Books

The chilling modern classic on the disastrous war in Afghanistan, now available in paperback

An intellectual memoir by the author of the acclaimed Imagined Communities

Focusing on overlooked areas of urban landscapes, this book examines how these neglected spaces transform into sites of resistance and community for marginalized groups, including refugees, asylum seekers, and the homeless. It delves into the dynamics of these environments, highlighting the resilience and agency of those who inhabit them, while addressing broader themes of displacement and social justice.

Exploring the disconnect between urban life and physical geography, this book highlights the impact of this separation on human survival. It emphasizes the need for a transformative approach to reconnect city dwellers with their environment, advocating for a reimagining of the relationship between urban spaces and the landscape. Through this lens, it calls for a deeper understanding of how cities can harmonize with their geographical contexts to foster a more sustainable future.

This “sparkling” and world-famous work examines what drives people to live, die, and kill in the name of nations—revealing the surprising origins and development of nationalism (The Guardian). The full magnitude of Benedict Anderson’s intellectual achievement is still being appreciated and debated. Imagined Communities remains the most influential book on the origins of nationalism, filling the vacuum that previously existed in the traditions of Western thought. Cited more often than any other single English-language work in the human sciences, it is read around the world in more than thirty translations. Written with exemplary clarity, this illuminating study traces the emergence of community as an idea to South America, rather than to nineteenth-century Europe. Later, this sense of belonging was formed and reformulated at every level, from high politics to popular culture, through print, literature, maps and museums. Following the rise and conflict of nations and the decline of empires, Anderson draws on examples from South East Asia, Latin America and Europe’s recent past to show how nationalism shaped the modern world.

This collection of essays spans a range of subjects, including: Aquino's Philippines, where the horses ate better than the stable hands; and political assassinations in contemporary Thailand, where government posts have become so lucrative that to gain them candidates will kill their rivals.

The book delves into Berlin's devastation during World War II and the subsequent efforts to rebuild the city. It explores the interplay between destruction and burial, highlighting how these processes reshape urban geography and contribute to the collective amnesia surrounding trauma and ruin. By examining the relationship between forgetting and reconstructing, it provides a thought-provoking perspective on the city's historical narrative and the complexities of memory in urban development.

This “sparkling” and world-famous work examines what drives people to live, die, and kill in the name of nations—revealing the surprising origins and development of nationalism (The Guardian)The full magnitude of Benedict Anderson’s intellectual achievement is still being appreciated and debated. Imagined Communities remains the most influential book on the origins of nationalism, filling the vacuum that previously existed in the traditions of Western thought. Cited more often than any other single English-language work in the human sciences, it is read around the world in more than thirty translations.Written with exemplary clarity, this illuminating study traces the emergence of community as an idea to South America, rather than to nineteenth-century Europe. Later, this sense of belonging was formed and reformulated at every level, from high politics to popular culture, through print, literature, maps and museums. Following the rise and conflict of nations and the decline of empires, Anderson draws on examples from South East Asia, Latin America and Europe’s recent past to show how nationalism shaped the modern world.

Nineteenth-century bombs, anarchism and anti-imperialism.