Professor Tom Nairn

Diploma of Art (Edinburgh College of Art), MA (Hons1) (Edinburgh)

Elected: 2009
Discipline: Political Science   (Panel C)

Specialisation:

TOM NAIRN has been involved in a very wide range of political, intellectual and cultural activities.  He has devoted much time to publication of non-academic or para-academic material, such as writing for non-refereed journals, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets and on-line venues.  These include Anno (Rome), Bulletin of Scottish Politics (Edinburgh), Dissent (USA), Il Contemporaneo (Rome), Kursbuch (Berlin), Les Temps Modernes (Paris), New Statesman, Mondo Operaio, Libération, The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, and the London Review of Books.  Over the period 1989 - 1994 he wrote a fortnightly article for The Scotsman (Edinburgh) dealing mainly with the development of the constitutional independence movement, and he has served as London correspondent of l'Unità.

Since his appointment to the position of Innovation Professor in Nationalism and cultural Diversity at the Globalism Institute, RMIT University in 2002 Professor Nairn's studies at the Globalism Research Centre have focused mainly on the politics and culture of the post-1989 globalization process.  Without denying that market forces remain a necessary condition of these changes they have looked for sufficient conditions as well: the politics and culture of how societies are remaking themselves in a more unified world.  Wide-angled research is required for this and their efforts now extend from the 'politics of the body' and bio-technology, via local communities and government, to the fate of nationalism within an altering international arena.  A deep influence on Professor Nairn's thinking has come from Bill Cope's Common Ground organisation, based in Melbourne, both in conference organisation and in publishing.  It was Common Ground Publishing that brought out the 3rd edition of Break-up of Britain in 2003 (see Key Publications)  

Key appointments

  • 1957-58:  Researcher at La Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
  • 1959-61:  Researcher at Dijon University, France
  • 1963-69:  Lecturer at Hornsey College of Art, London
  • 1971-78:  Researcher at the Transnational Institute, Amsterdam
  • 1994-2001:  Lecturer and Convenor of Nationalism Studies, Edinburgh University Graduate School
  • 2002-2009:  Researcher in Globalism Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne

Awards

Publications

Nairn, T, Davies, B & Kay, N (2008), The Independence Book: Scotland in Today's World, Harry Reid & Paul Henderson Scott (eds).  Edinburgh: Luath Press Ltd

Nairn, T (2008), 'Byzantium', in Arena Magazine, April edition

Nairn, T (2007), 'Union on the Rocks?' in New Left Review, Second series No 43 (Jan/Feb)

Nairn, T & James P (2006), Globalizing Empires, Old and New.  London: Sage Publications

Nairn, T (2006), 'The New Furies' in New Left Review, Second series No 37 (Jan/Feb)

Nairn, T & James, P (2005), Global Matrix:  Nationalism, Globalism and State Terrorism.  London & New York: Pluto Press

Nairn, T (2004), 'Break-up:  Twenty-five Years On' in Scotland in Theory: Reflections on Culture and Literature, E Bell & G Miller (eds).  Amsterdam & New York: Rodopi Publishing

Nairn, T (2004), 'Death in Canada: Misfortunes of Ethnicity', in Edinburgh Review

Nairn, T (July 2003), Authoritarian Man: the Axis of Good, on www.opendemocracy.net

Nairn, T (February 2002), The Lord of the Rings: Ethnicity in Your Dreams, on www.opendemocracy.net 

Nairn, T (2002), Pariah: Misfortunes of the British Kingdom.  London & New York: Verso Books

Nairn, T (2002), 'Disorientations From Down Under: the Old Country in Retrospect' in Tomorrow's Scotland, G Hassan and C Warhurst (eds), London

Nairn, T (October 2001), Black Pluto's Door: After Sept 11th, on www.opendemocracy.net

Nairn, T (2001), 'Mario and the Magician', in New Left Review, Second Series, No 9

Nairn, T (2001), 'Farewell Britannia: Break-up or New Union?' in New Left Review, Second Series, No 7

Nairn, T (2000-1), 'Democracy and Genocide', in Arena Journal, New Series N 16, Melbourne

Nairn, T (2000), After Britain: New Labour and the Return of Scotland.  London:  Granta

Nairn, T (1997), Faces of Nationalism: Janus Revisited.  London: Verso Books

Nairn, T (1994), The Enchanted Glass: Britain and its Monarchy.  London & New York:  Cape.  2nd edition London & New York: Radius/Random House

Nairn, T (1977), The Break-up of Britain: Crisis and Neo-nationalism.  London: New Left Books.  2nd edition (1981) London: Verso Books.  3rd edition (2003) Melbourne: CommonGround Publishing

Nairn, T (ed, and Introduction) (1976), Atlantic Europe.  Amsterdam: Transnational Institute

Nairn, T (1973), The Left Against Europe.  Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books

Nairn, T & Quattrocchi, A, (1968), Beginning of the End.  2nd edition, Preface by Tariq Ali (1998).  London & New York:  Verso Books  

Contact

Email: tom.nairn [at] yahoo.co.uk