Design and National Identity
2017; Oxford University Press; Volume: 30; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/jdh/epx031
ISSN1741-7279
Autores Tópico(s)Art, Politics, and Modernism
ResumoDesign, as a field of visual and material culture, has often been consciously or unconsciously incorporated into the constructions of national identity by various agents across the world. Yet, the question is how and why design has been used since the emergence of modern nationalism. Divided into three main parts with three chapters each, Design and National Identity by Javier Gimeno-Martínez examines the literature published on this topic and analyses an array of design practices in relation to what can be characterized as nationalism and national identity. The introduction surveys some of the main theories of nationalism that have played a key role in our understanding of what the main ideological as well as cultural functions of a nation are. Asking about the ways and reasons national identity is constructed, Gimeno-Martínez refers to the classics of nationalism studies such as Anthony Smith, Eric Hobsbawm, Terence Ranger, Benedict Anderson and Stuart Hall. However, as most of the theories reappear in subsequent discussions of the more specific issues in relation to design, the introduction—which remains within the boundaries of a literature review—does not fully achieve its function of setting out a clear goal of the book and its main thesis.
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