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5 - The Paradox of National Universalism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2024

Geneviève Rousselière
Geneviève Rousselière
Affiliation:
Duke University, North Carolina
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Summary

Chapter 5 presents the paradox of national universalism as a theoretical explanation of French republicans’ historical tendency to exclude foreigners and minorities. It retraces the formation of the discourse of “nation” alongside that of “people” as well as the development of nationalism alongside the discourse of universalism. It analyzes the tension caused by the conjunction of two phenomena: the existence (or supposition of) a historical nation, and the declaration of universalism on which the revolution based itself. Finally, the chapter presents education policies and civil religion during the French revolution as two instances of the paradox of national universalism.

Keywords

NationalismUniversalismPeopleNationEducationCivil Religion
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Chapter
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Sharing Freedom
Republicanism and Exclusion in Revolutionary France
 , pp. 183 - 222
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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