ABSTRACT
Ernest Gellner's concept of industrialization relies on the following ideas: the society is mobile, fluid, and egalitarian, certain human traits prove "resistant" to even dispersal throughout society, and resistant traits form the basis of defining a new nation. Gellner extends the concept of how nationalisms differ by introducing three other variables: power, education, and culture. Nationalisms exhibit different characteristics. But Gellner tries to show that they are all fundamentally shaped by cultural differentiation. This cultural differentiation may be driven by what he terms "entropy-resistant" traits. Gellner argues, something different happens: "entropy-resistant" traits that lead to problems of "mobility and equality" will create "national" struggles. The interaction between nationalism and the religion of Islam fascinated Gellner. Religions are often administered by a literate upper class. Islam could function both to legitimate power and to universalize a particular culture. In John A. Hall view, this conclusion agrees well with how Gellner viewed the influence of modernity and nationalism on Islam.
