 Let us now turn to the issue of the origin and “authenticity” of ethno-cultural groups or ethno-nations. In social and political science one usually distinguishes two kinds of views, but there is a third group, combining element from both. The first are modernist views that see nationalism as born in modern times, together with  nation-states.[7]  In our times the view was pioneered by Ernst Gellner (see his  1983).[8]  Other modernist choose similar starting points with century or two of  variation.[9]  The opposite view can be called, following Edward Shils (1957) “primordialist”. According to it, actual ethno-cultural nations have either existed “since time immemorial”.