ABSTRACT
Concepts in social science are formulated on the basis of specific historical experiences, but unless they transcend their empirical contexts they are of limited utility. One of the tasks of social science is to establish links between concepts and theories vis-a-vis a variety of empirical situations in order to establish their plausibility and test their validity. I propose to undertake this task with reference to three concepts, namely state, nation and ethnie. As a prelude to this, it is necessary to deal, albeit briefly, with the senses in which the three concepts are employed in contemporary social science. I must make it clear that my intention is not to attempt an analysis of the “state-of-the-art” but to indicate how the content and career of these concepts have been tempered by the empirical contexts from which they emanated, and the need to transcend the same.
