Publication date:
13 December 2012Length of book:
242 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9780739174265
The seven microstates of Europe, i.e. Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Malta, San Marino, Sovereign Order of St. John, and Vatican City are remarkable not only for their size, but their persistence. Most have been around for centuries, while much larger empires have come and gone. Despite the great events of the last two millennia, these countries have come into existence and have managed to steer a course away from incorporation within their larger neighbors. Why is this? Rather than being an exercise in triviality, the study in The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World of the histories of these tiny states may provide insight into tenaciousness of national aspirations and ethnic solidarity that are everywhere evident. Modernist studies tend to view the microstates as illogical anomalies destined to disappear under the crush of social progress. However, these states are anything but marginal—in fact, they are among the richest states in the world. This book examines the phenomenon from structural history and anthropological perspectives. It is not a grand history of petite places—rather, it is an “ethnographic anthology” of a few places in Europe that should not logically exist. The Microstates of Europe is a post-modern critique of the trends of globalism, and it examines the counter-trend of increasing nationalism, particularism, and cultural relativism. Rather than being eclectic exceptions, the microstates may demonstrate the survival of extremely long enduring mechanisms of collective boundary maintenance that are most likely present in many communities throughout the world.
The microstates of Europe are usually the stuff of travel guides. Klieger offers brief historical sketches of Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Vatican City, and Monaco. He includes two chapters on the sixth microstate, Malta. He also considers a number of wannabes with short histories. Klieger points out that the microstates have maintained their more or less independent status for centuries. The book is rather whimsical—Klieger includes a recipe for stewed rabbit with advice to send 'condolence letters to rabbits' families.' There are references and a bibliography. The book can be recommended for the general reader or traveler to the European microstates. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers only.