ABSTRACT
Anarchists are internationalists, want no borders, and claim that their homeland is the whole world. Such stances are generally perceived as ruling out from anarchist discourse any reference to nations and national identity other than in dismissive terms. Anarchists agree with the concept of national sovereignty, but they require that the nation be free not only from foreign governors but also from any governors. The modern concept of nation emerged in the late eighteenth century in a primarily political meaning, in connection with the notion of self-determination popularized by the American and French revolutions. Abandoning a national framework of analysis does not necessarily mean abandoning a national perspective but rather a territorial scope of analysis. Anarchists fought against states, not against nations. The historian who wants to understand them needs to adjust to their idea of nations without borders.
