Ernest Renan was one of the intellectual giants of the second half of the nineteenth century in France, the man who first opened up the study of nationalism. In this book, Shlomo Sand, the author of the best-selling The Invention of the Jewish People, demonstrates the complexity of Renan's thought. Sand shows the relationship of Renan's work to that of key twentieth-century thinkers on nationalism, such as Raymond Aron and Ernest Gellner, and argues for the continued importance of studying Renan.
Alongside his essay, Sand presents two classic lectures by Renan: the first, the renowned "What Is a Nation?", argues that nations are not based upon race, religion, and language; in the second he uses historical evidence to show that the Jews cannot be considered a "pure ethnos." On the Nation and the Jewish People is an important contribution to the understanding of nationalism, bringing back into play the work of a profoundly misunderstood thinker.

Two classic texts on nationalism introduced by the author of The Invention of the Jewish People

About the Author
Shlomo Sand studied history at the University of Tel Aviv and at the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales, in Paris. He currently teaches contemporary history at the University of Tel Aviv. His books include The Invention of the Jewish People, On the Nation and the Jewish People, L'Illusion du politique: Georges Sorel et le debat intellectuel 1900, Georges Sorel en son temps, Le XXe siecle a l'ecran and Les Mots et la terre: les intellectuels en Israel.

Ernest Renan (1823-1892) was a French philosopher and writer.


Book Information
ISBN 9781844674626
Author Ernest Renan
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Verso Books
Publisher Verso Books
Weight(grams) 131g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 132mm * 10mm