Max Weber and Anthony D. Smith on Race, Ethnicity, and Nation

Abstract

The relationship between the sociological categories of race, ethnicity, and nation, and indeed definitions of these terms themselves, continues to be a lively, if not fraught, topic. One of the first social scientists to engage in the investigation of these concepts was Max Weber (1864–1920). Though his work on the subject was incomplete at the time of his death, it nevertheless provided a useful starting point for later research. One of the recent scholars whose work echoes that of Weber was Anthony D. Smith (1939–2016). Through an analysis of the work of both on the subjects of race, ethnicity, and national identity, this paper will examine the similarities in the approaches of Weber and Smith and, in the process, suggest ways to continue the exploration of these important concepts.