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Histoire de la nation française: Du mythe des origines à nos jours
528 pages, Paperback
Published February 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 22, 2026
The introduction clearly sets out the stakes of a study of the evolution of the concept of “nationhood” in France, and the book’s conclusion offers an invaluable survey of the current moment, in which this concept appears increasingly drained of relevance, thus threatening the social bond.
Between these two strong framing sections, however, the book remains disappointingly traditional in its historical narrative and, in my (admittedly uninformed) view, lacks an international perspective. Despite its somewhat unconvincing centrist plea (neither a 'roman national' nor a deconstructive field of ruins) and its updated orientation toward the nation as collective memory in the vein of Pierre Nora, the study remains narrowly and conventionally Franco-French in its approach, as if the French nation had developed in relative geographic isolation. Wasn't the formation of nation-states in the early Middle Ages a broadly European process, and wasn't France negotiating its own political consolidation and identity formation against the backdrop of neighboring powers? The example of England especially feels surprisingly ignored as a productive counterpoint.
A similar limitation appears in the treatment of the nineteenth century. While the book is excellent in tracing the development of universalism and laïcité as core elements of French national identity, France’s defeats in 1815 and 1871 are relatively underdeveloped as key pressure points that prompted a rethinking of national exceptionalism and reshaped France’s position within the European state system. Finally, the profound influence of twentieth-century American conceptions of nationhood—especially their emphasis on diversity and individual freedom—does not appear to be adequately addressed, despite their clear relevance to the tensions that pervade contemporary French identity.
Between these two strong framing sections, however, the book remains disappointingly traditional in its historical narrative and, in my (admittedly uninformed) view, lacks an international perspective. Despite its somewhat unconvincing centrist plea (neither a 'roman national' nor a deconstructive field of ruins) and its updated orientation toward the nation as collective memory in the vein of Pierre Nora, the study remains narrowly and conventionally Franco-French in its approach, as if the French nation had developed in relative geographic isolation. Wasn't the formation of nation-states in the early Middle Ages a broadly European process, and wasn't France negotiating its own political consolidation and identity formation against the backdrop of neighboring powers? The example of England especially feels surprisingly ignored as a productive counterpoint.
A similar limitation appears in the treatment of the nineteenth century. While the book is excellent in tracing the development of universalism and laïcité as core elements of French national identity, France’s defeats in 1815 and 1871 are relatively underdeveloped as key pressure points that prompted a rethinking of national exceptionalism and reshaped France’s position within the European state system. Finally, the profound influence of twentieth-century American conceptions of nationhood—especially their emphasis on diversity and individual freedom—does not appear to be adequately addressed, despite their clear relevance to the tensions that pervade contemporary French identity.
February 23, 2025
Historien respecté, Eric Anceau nous propose une vaste fresque de la Nation francaise, du presque mythique rassemblement de la Gaule par Vercingetorix au tragique "archipel de nous tribaux brandissant chacun sa créance" voulu par l'intelligentsia macroniste. Si l'on doit en partager la conclusion quant à l'urgence du retour du politique, le livre souffre cependant de l'amplitude des récits d'histoire de France qu'il comporte - en particulier sur l'époque contemporaine - et qui dilue l'attention du lecteur du sujet principal, celui de l'idée de Nation. A l'inverse, on regrettera que les 18 premiers siècles aient été très vite survolées, une concession au concept de "la volonté de vivre ensemble"mais un recul sur le fait que la géographie, l'histoire et la langue ont également été décisif depuis les origines.
October 3, 2025
Pas l’histoire de France, mais l’histoire du concept de nation française. Ignorer notre longue histoire serait une erreur : tant de détours, rien n’est jamais acquis.
Un plaidoyer pour la science historique, qu’il faut protéger. Un appel implicite à la mesure et à la sagesse, c’est ce que j’en retiens.
Un plaidoyer pour la science historique, qu’il faut protéger. Un appel implicite à la mesure et à la sagesse, c’est ce que j’en retiens.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews