Anderson begins by emphasizing the remarkable political durability and emotional appeal of the idea of the nation. Recent conflicts among Marxist regimes like the People’s Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam underscore the resilience of nationalism and the role of the nation in forming the individual and social identity. In the late 20th century, nationalism and the nation-state show no signs of decline. Despite oft-repeated claims that the era of nation-states is coming to an end, Anderson observes that “nation-ness is the most universally legitimate value in the political life of our time” (3).

While immensely influential, the ideas of nation, nationality, and nationalism have been difficult for historians and political scientists to clearly define and explain. The Marxist goal of a classless society, for instance, envisions an international social organization that supersedes the parochialism of competing nationalisms. However, Marx largely avoided addressing the question of nationalism and failed to explain the political endurance of the nation-state. Marxist critique has been largely silent regarding what it tacitly considers the anomaly of nationalism. Anderson’s aim in Imagined Communities is to offer an interpretation of nationalism and nationality as cultural artefacts that arose towards the end of the 18th century from a convergence of specific historical forces.