A nation is a daily referendum!

Mapping stereotypes

The follow up to the question that the French historian Ernest Renan (1823–1892)  asked in his 1882 lecture "What is a Nation?" ("Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?") includes the idea that a nation is "a daily referendum", and that nations are based as much on what the people jointly forget, as what they remember, and this observation is frequently quoted in historical discussions concerning nationalism and national identity.

Renan's essay begins by pointing to the category confusion often made between the idea of nationhood and of racial or linguistic groupings, a form of confusion which he says can produce "the gravest errors". His corrective approach is to conduct an autopsy-like examination, "in an absolutely cold and impartial fashion."

He had no doubt that the European nations existing at the time, such as France, Germany, England and Russia, would continue to exist for hundreds of years, but that; "The establishment of a new Roman or Charlemagnian Empire has become an impossibility. "

His belief was that nations developed from the common needs of the people, who consisted of different social groups seeking a "collective identity". He praises the eighteenth century for its achievements in regards to humanity and the restoration of the pure identity of man, one which was free from misconceptions and socially established variances, but he discredits the theory that race is the basis for the unification of people. 

His thinking on nationhood led him to the conclusion that neither language nor religion are a sound basis for solidarity because language “invites people to unite, but does not force them to do so” and "religion has become an individual matter". 

The United States and England are nations divided by a common language rather than united as an English speaking nation, and  countries no longer operate on the basis of forcing people to choose between one religion or the another.

Renan recognised the complete opposite in what he thought was a unique element of the European nation-forming experience, the mixture of races, origins and religions, where conquering people often resulted in the conquerors adopting the religion, manners, and marrying the women of the people they conquered. 

Renan's most memorable observation is that: 

"Forgetfulness, and I would even say historical error, are essential in the creation of a nation." 

He says that historical research, by revealing unwanted truths, can even endanger nationhood. All nations, even the most benevolent in later practice, are founded on acts of violence, which are then forgotten. "Unity is always achieved by brutality: the joining of the north of France with the center was the result of nearly a century of extermination and terror". He believes that people unite in their memories of suffering because alleviating grief requires a “common effort” which serves as a foundation for unity. Members of a community feel as though they have accomplished something great when they are able to survive in adverse conditions. This leads to one of the most frequently quoted statements in the essay:

Yet the essence of a nation is that all individuals have many things in common, and also that they have forgotten many things.