1: Introduction.- 2: Stateless Nations Reconceptualised: Theoretical Framework and Choosing Wales and the Basque Country.- 3: Ordinary Conceptualisations of Welshness and Basqueness.- 4: Political Conceptualisations of Welshness and Basqueness.- 5: Comparing Stateless Nations: Insights from Wales and the Basque Country.- 6:Conclusion.

This book looks at the fundamental components of national identity as understood by ordinary nation members, and the way in which it is mobilised by political elites. Drawing on an original case comparison between Wales and the Basque Country, the author suggests there are many commonalities between these two nations, particularly around the fundamentals of their national identities. However, differences occur in terms of degree of intensity of feeling and around the politicisation of identity, with more entrenched and hostile political positioning in the Basque Country than Wales. Through a multi-level comparison, the book generates insights into national identity as a theoretical concept and in a ‘stateless nation’ context. It argues for national identity's intangible, yet polemical, nature, looking at the primordialist way it is understood, its permanence and importance, coupled with its lack of everyday salience and consequent obligations. 
Sophie Williams is Research Officer at the Office for National Statistics, Newport, UK. She holds a PhD from Swansea University and has taught on politics modules at BA and MA levels at Swansea University.

“This unique and engaging book provides fresh insights into our understanding of national identity. Drawing on extensive primary research, Sophie Williams develops a robust and stimulating critique of nationalism—emphasizing, in particular, how attention to framing methodologies and techniques work to calibrate nationalist sentiment. The text details these ideas through a deep comparison of two ‘stateless nations’—Wales and the Basque Country—and offers a clear lens on debates concerning identity at peripheries.” (Cillian McGrattan, School of Applied Social and Policy Studies, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland)

“This book makes a fantastic contribution to our understanding of Welsh and Basque national identity and, indeed, to the study of national identity generally. It combines fresh and compelling primary research with rigorous theoretical grounding—making it a must read for scholars and interested observers in this field.” (Matthew Wall, Department of Political and Cultural Studies, Swansea University, UK)

Builds on a novel, multi-theoretic framework based on a modified social constructivist ontology and epistemology Has implications for wider national identity research, particularly in a ‘stateless nation’ context Employs a qualitative multi-method approach, gathering and analysing original data in four languages

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