Citation

Dannreuther R, Kennedy J. Int. Polit. Sociol. 2007; 1(4): 339-355.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, International Studies Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1749-5687.2007.00025.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Ernest Gellner’s political sociology has been relatively neglected not only in international relations (IR) but also in sociology and social anthropology. This article provides an overview of Gellner’s ambitious vision of our modern condition. Central to this vision is the salience of the “transition” from agrarian to industrial society, which Gellner believed had transformed and revolutionized not only our philosophical outlook but also our sociological and historical condition. This article argues that Gellner’s work provides an intellectually rich, demanding, and fruitful model which has much relevance to IR. We illustrate this by showing how Gellner’s sociological insights into the study of nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism continue to have a direct application to contemporary concerns within IR, as well as providing an illustration of how IR can benefit from a multidisciplinary engagement with the disciplines that Gellner most creatively borrowed from: sociology, anthropology, and philosophy.