Nationalism Figures
Ernest Renan
Renan gave modern nationalism one of its most famous civic definitions.
Notable contribution
Defined the nation as shared memory and continuing consent rather than race, language, or geography alone.
Profile notes
- His lecture What Is a Nation? argued that nations depend on memory and present willingness to live together.
- He rejected simple racial or linguistic definitions of nationhood.
- His formulation remains central in debates over civic nationalism and collective identity.
