Review by Choice Review
This book ambitiously aims to describe and juxtapose three early discourses of nation in east-central Europe. Bilenky (Columbia) views as interlocking, indeed overlapping, the imagined national communities conjured up by the rhetoric of Russians, Poles, and Ukrainians in the 1830s-40s. In his conclusion, Bilenky states (admittedly in a provocative way) his thesis: Russians "unmade" the historic "Polish nation," and the Ukrainians "unmade" the "all-Russian nation." While not all will agree with such an assertion, Bilenky provides an excellent overview of visions of nation in this early period, mainly in the Russian Empire. As a history of ideas, this book's strength is its analysis of these three national discourses together; this is particularly appropriate, as these thinkers were, in many cases, cribbing off one another (directly or indirectly). For specialists, most of the figures and rhetoric will be fairly familiar, but this book is written in manner accessible to students and those new to this field. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. T. R. Weeks Southern Illinois University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
