L'Histoire de France en musee. Patrimoine collectif et strategies politiques

In: Raisons politiques: études de pensée politique, Heft 1, S. 103-117

Abstract

French National History to the museum: Collective Patrimony & Political Strategy Announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009, the creation of a national Museum of French History is connected to the central position held by national identity in recent political debates. National history may be seen as a form of banal nationalism; yet it is often the stage on which contemporary political strife is expressed. While reminding several recent episodes illustrating the political instrumentalization of national history, this article also outlines the two ongoing aspects taken by this question in French politics: 1) how to define the right of belonging to the nation? 2) For the current right-wing government, how to neutralize the national master narrative in order to retrospectively delegitimize left-wing ideology? Adapted from the source document.