The
invention of tradition is a concept made prominent in the eponymous 1983 book edited by
E. J. Hobsbawm and
T. O. Ranger. In their Introduction the editors argue that many "
traditions" which "appear or claim to be old are often quite recent in origin and sometimes invented." They distinguish the "invention" of traditions in this sense from "starting" or "initiating" a tradition which does not then claim to be old. The phenomenon is particularly clear in the modern development of the
nation and of
nationalism, creating a national identity promoting national unity, and legitimising certain institutions or cultural practices.