Introduction: The modernist paradigm. 1. The rise of classical modernism -- pt. I. Varieties of modernism. 2. The culture of industrialism. 3. Capitalism and nationalism. 4. State and nation. 5. Political messianism. 6. Invention and imagination -- pt. II. Critics and alternatives. 7. Primordialism and perennialism. 8. Ethno-symbolism. 9. Beyond modernism? -- Conclusion: problems, paradigms and prospects.