The last volume of the Discourses of Collective Identity in Central and Southeast Europe 1770–1945 series presents 46 texts under the heading of "antimodernism". In a dynamic relationship with modernism, from the 1880s to the 1940s, and especially during the interwar period, the antimodernist political discourse in the region offered complex ideological constructions of national identification. These texts rejected the linear vision of progress and instead offered alternative models of temporality, such as the cyclical one as well as various narratives of decline. This shift was closely connected to the rejection of liberal democratic institutionalism, and the preference for organicist models of social existence, emphasizing the role of the elites (and charismatic leaders) shaping the whole body politic. Along these lines, antimodernist authors also formulated alternative visions of symbolic geography: rejecting the symbolic hierarchies that focused on the normativity of Western European models, they stressed the cultural and political autarchy of their own national community, which in some cases was also coupled with the reevaluation of the Orient. At the same time, this antimodernist turn should not be confused with rightwing radicalism—in fact, the dialogue with the modernist tradition was often very subtle and the anthology also contains texts which offered a criticism of 'modern' totalitarianism in an antimodernist key.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Balázs Trencsényi and Sorin Antohi: Approaching Anti-Modernism Chapter I. Integral Nationalism Nikola Pašic: The Agreement of Serbs and Croats Georg Schönerer: The Pan-Germans’ program for the future Roman Dmowski: Thoughts of a modern Pole Nicolae Iorga: On national culture Aurel C. Popovici: At the crossroads of two worlds Vladimir Cerina: In the city of cynics Babanzâde Ahmed Naim: The question of nationalism in Islam Jozef Tiso: The ideology of the Slovak People’s Party Dezso Szabó: Tomorrow’s nationalism Chapter II. The Crisis of the European Conscience Karl Kraus: The last days of mankind Mircea Eliade: Spiritual itinerary Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar: On East and West Leopold Andrian: Austria through the prism of the Idea Mihály Babits: Mass and nation Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz: Unkempt souls Ivan Hadzhiyski: An optimistic theory of our people Chapter III. In Search of a National Ontology Ion Dragoumis: Hellenic civilization Jaroslav Durych: The mission of the Czech state France Veber: The ideal foundations of Slavic agrarianism Anton Wildgans: Speech about Austria Lucian Blaga: The Mioritic space Vladimir Dvornikovic: Epic man Nikolaj Velimirovic: Serbian nation as a servant of God Nayden Sheytanov: The Bulgarian worldview László Németh: In the minority Chapter IV. Conservative Redefinitions of Tradition and Modernity Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Writing as the spiritual space of the Nation Gyula Szekfu: Three generations Heinrich von Srbik: Austria in the Holy Roman Empire and in the German Confederation Živojin Peric: Religion in the Serbian Civil Code Milan Šufflay: The depths of national consciousness Karel Kramár: In defense of Slavic politics Petar Mutafchiev: Towards a philosophy of the Bulgarian history Nichifor Crainic: The meaning of tradition Ömer Lütfi Barkan: The legal status of the peasant class in the Ottoman Empire Ladislav Hanus: Slovak statehood Manifesto of the Slovenian National Defense Corps Chapter V. The Anti-Modernist Revolution Ideological declaration of the Camp of Great Poland Janko Janev: The spirit of the nation Hüseyin Nihal Atsiz: Turkish unity Ioannis Metaxas: Speech on the occasion of the inauguration of public works Emil Cioran: The transfiguration of Romania Lazër Radi: Fascism and the Albanian Spirit Štefan Polakovic: Slovak National Socialism Emanuel Vajtauer: Czech myth Svetislav Stefanovic: The building of New Serbia as a peasant state Edvard Kocbek: Comradeship Basic secondary literature on identity discourses in Central and Southeast Europe Glossary