In his latest collection of essays, Neil Davidson brings his formidable analytical powers to bear on the concept of the capitalist nation-state. Through probing inquiry, Davidson draws out how nationalist ideology and consciousness is used to bind the subordinate classes to “the nation,” while simultaneously using “the state” as a means of conducting geopolitical competition for capital.
The book presents a groundbreaking reassessment of late seventeenth and early eighteenth-century Scottish politics and society, arguing for the recognition of a significant revolution in Scotland that has been overlooked in previous historical accounts. Neil Davidson's work aims to establish itself as a standard reference on the subject, challenging existing historiography and providing a fresh perspective on this transformative period in Scotland's history.
Focusing on the concept of national identity, this work explores the historical and cultural foundations of Scottish nationhood. It encourages readers to engage in critical analysis of what it means to be part of a nation, particularly in the context of Scotland's unique heritage. The book aims to provoke thoughtful discussions about national identity and the factors that shape it.
An abridged version of the author's 2012 work of the same title, limited to the last part, "The Specificity of the Bourgeois Revoltuion."
What is Scottish independence for? Since the referendum, Scottish independence has been captured by conservative forces. Scotland After Britain argues for fidelity to the true meaning of the word independence. It should mean not only a break from the failing British state, but also from the prison of free trade and militarism that has delivered successive crises. Most of all, independence must honestly address the huge injustices of income, wealth and power that continue to define Scottish society, by restoring agency to working class communities and voters. Scotland After Britain shines a spotlight on pro-independence politics since Brexit and the pandemic. The Scottish national question has emerged as the biggest fracture in the British state after Brexit. The independence movement emerged from mass public disenchantment at the status quo, yet the SNP continues governing as if that disenchantment never happened, and the party leadership appears increasingly ambivalent about the risks of demanding independence. Most of all, the British state remains hostile to allowing a second referendum, while the SNP leadership has been unwilling to sanction protest beyond the ballot box. Where do we go from here? Scotland After Britain argues Brexit could force the movement to engage in a reckoning with the true stakes of independence, a process that will inevitably require a breach with the SNP’s establishment vision.
"At Business of Software 2007 Michael Pryor held an impromptu session on how to price your software. So many people turned up, and so many people kept on arriving, that by the time they'd introduced themselves there was no time left to talk about software pricing. I've had similar experiences; in fact, "How do I price my software?" is probably the most common question I'm asked by software entrepreneurs and product managers.This handbook is an attempt to answer that question." Neil Davidson, Author.
Eminent scholar-activist Neil Davidson's brilliance is on full display in this posthumous work, a timely and prescient introduction to the neoliberal era. While it is widely agreed that neoliberalism arose in the wake of the global economic crisis of the 1970s, there remains much debate about how to understand its significance and even how to define it. Is it best seen as an ideology of free market fundamentalism, a series of policy decisions gutting the public sector and breaking unions, or as an era of capitalist development with its own logic Bringing his considerable intellectual breadth and characteristic generosity to bear on this question, Neil Davidson shows that to truly appreciate what is unique about neoliberalism, and what marks it out as a continuation of capitalism more generally, it is necessary to examine its social dimensions. What Was Neoliberalism? holds fast to Davidson's conviction that thoroughly understanding the past means being better prepared for the struggles of the future.