1,793 words
Translated by Charles Jansen
Translator’s Note:
Ernest Renan (1823–1892) is famous for his 1882 essay Qu’est-ce qu’une nation? (What is a Nation?), in which he upholds the idea that a nation is founded upon a social contract or a voluntary association of individuals rather than ties of blood or a common history. His statement that “a nation is a plebiscite of each day” has been a pillar of French civic education for decades. (more…)