Description: A lively and informative short volume that shows that France is not a faded glory but rather a place that has defined and shaped the key issues of our contemporary world, such as democracy and universal human rights, the emergence of a culture of consumerist spectacle, the tensions between nationalism and contemporary multiculturalism, and the role of religion in the modern state.
Review Quotes: "This quite brilliant 'introductory essay' has as its main point that the specificity of French collective identity and culture is - and has always been - in its ability to blend a very strong sense of national self with universalist values. Everyone who wants to know more about modern French culture and history should read this book." -Patrice Higonnet, Robert Walton Goelet Professor of French History, Harvard University