Subversive Archaism

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Focusing on marginalized communities, Michael Herzfeld examines how they utilize nationalist discourses of tradition to resist state authority in both democratic and authoritarian contexts. By analyzing the experiences of Greek mountain shepherds and Thai urban slum dwellers, he reveals how these individuals invoke national histories to legitimize their defiance against bureaucratic power. Rather than rejecting national identity, they challenge the conflation of state and nation, highlighting the complexities of heritage in the face of globalization and bureaucratic vulnerabilities.