Inventing the Modern Region: Basque Identity and the French Nation-State (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781526194886)

This book explores the process by which the French Basque country acquired a folkloric regional identity in the long nineteenth century. It argues that, despite its origins in pre-modern customs, this stereotypical identity was invented as part of France's process of nation-building. The abolition of privileges in 1789 prompted a new interest in local culture as the defining feature of provincial France, shaping the transition from the pre-'modern' province to the 'modern' region. The relationship between the region and the nation, however, was difficult. Regional culture favoured the integration of the French Basque provinces into the French nation-state but also challenged the authority of the central state. As a result, Basque region-building reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the unitary model of French nationhood, in the nineteenth century as well as today.

Author: Talitha Ilacqua
ISBN-10: 1526194880
ISBN-13: 9781526194886
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/20/2026
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.58d