Benedict Anderson

About the author

Benedict Anderson (1936–2015) was an Anglo-Irish political scientist and historian whose 1983 book Imagined Communities transformed how scholars understand the origins of nationalism, making it one of the most influential works in modern political thought. A polyglot with a deep focus on Southeast Asia, he held the Aaron L. Binenkorb Professorship in International Studies, Government & Asian Studies at Cornell University.

His involvement in the "Cornell Paper," which challenged Indonesia's official account of the 1965–66 anti-Communist purges, led to his expulsion from the country. He was the elder brother of historian Perry Anderson.