Typing the nation

Via ilovetypography.com, an exhibit on the relationship between type design and national identity.

This is from the discussion of type design that sought to transcend national character:

Nationalistic fervor went hand-in-hand with the tragic political history of 20th century Europe. Many designers, particularly in the wakes of the world wars, argued that the modern world demanded a more internationalist approach. Modern sans-serif typefaces were thought to transcend national boundaries through the use of simplified forms that held universal associations.

At Crooked Timber, John Holbo has been occasionally blogging on type and politics. It is a ripe field of inquiry, but has rarely been reaped. An exception is Blackletter: Type and National Identity (Princeton, 1998), which emerged out of a Cooper Union project. Any others? My guess is that studies of the conspicuous about-face of the Nazis on the use of Fraktur eclipse other studies of the political uses of graphic design.