This talk reviews what we know and what we don’t know about how nationalism changed the modern world. It discussed the international state system, the dynamics of war and peace within that system, the role of the state in society (including regarding taxation, public goods provision, and defense), and everyday forms of identification, solidarity, and trust. The story is a variegated one, however: different forms of nationalisms emerged and these in turn have different consequences. I conclude with an outline of what could be interesting avenues for future research and what are the main analytical and data-related obstacles lying ahead. 

Conference within the ETHNICGOODS project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The project's main goal is to challenge the notion that ethnic diversity dampens public goods such as healthcare or education. More info at https://ethnicgoods.org/