Free (DRM-free PDF) Narrating Peoplehood Amidst Diversity [National ID Culture Study]

[ATDrake]

Narrating Peoplehood Amidst Diversity: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives edited by Michael Böss, Director of the Canadian Studies Centre at Aarhus University, is an anthology of academic essays in their MatchPoints series of books about cultural and social studies, this one focusing on perceived and constructed notions of national identity throughout the ages, free courtesy of publisher Aarhus University Press in Denmark.

This is their current English-language Free Book of the Month selection for April, and is actually really nifty-looking, with case studies mostly about Denmark (and Canada, a little surprisingly) for stuff about citizenship and multiculturalism and the like, and also a bunch of stuff about the US' changing views of immigrants, both legal and not, and some more abstract stuff about notions of nationhood in general, with contributions from assorted persons such as notable if controversial figure Francis Fukuyama (Wikipedia).

If something else even more hypothetically awesometastic hadn't just popped up, this would have been today's spotlight pick both for the Canadian content (which actually does look to be the usually CRTC-mandated minimum 30%), and for looking pretty interesting in its own right.

Currently free, just through the month of April directly @ the university's dedicated promo page (DRM-free PDF available worldwide). More info about the book can be seen on its own regular webcatalogue page.

Description
Telling stories is an essential part of being human: We tell stories about ourselves to show other people who we are and where we belong. Nations have stories to tell too - "stories of peoplehood" - that build and maintain a sense of national belonging and identity. The concept has been used to analyse identities, memories, and histories of individuals, communities and nations. But does it make sense to talk about peoplehood today? Can plural societies tell national stories without marginalizing their minorities? And is it even fair to assume that our individual self-narratives are coupled with shared cultural ones?

In Narrating Peoplehood amidst Diversity, 16 internationally renowned scholars reflect on the nature and history of peoplehood and discuss how it forms part of national identities, public culture, and academic historiography. Based on theoretical analysis and empirical studies drawn from Latinos in the United States and African immigrants in France, and from multicultural stands in Canada to grand narratives in Danish history, the book is a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on belonging and identification in multicultural societies.

[ATDrake]

Just a reminder that this will probably be the last day to pick the freebie up if you want it.