Talcott Parsons (1902–1979): The totalitarian threat to the nation-state

The importance of Talcott Parsons in the course of contemporary social theory can hardly be exaggerated. Regardless of whether we see more recent developments in the field as a continuation or as a reaction against Parsonianism, the fact remains that he is arguably the key figure in the transition from classical to contemporary social theory. This same centrality makes particularly relevant to understand the extent to which Parsons’ conceptualisation of the nation-state’s position in modernity can be charged with methodological nationalism. To reach such an assessment is precisely the aim of this chapter.