During the formation of nations, elites invent rituals and spectacles, a fairly commonly shared practice, present in all countries, in different forms. Heads of state like to show themselves on these occasions as heads of the united Republic and guardians of the national faith. The republic is a word which, in France, in the mouths of political leaders refers to the nation (an imagined collective, France) and the State (the head of state, the vote). Membership in the Republic therefore combines the fact of feeling French and recognizing oneself in the figures and values of the State.
According to the founder of sociology, Émile Durkheim, ceremonies contribute to strengthening the cohesion of communities on the model of religion where churches regularly bring together the faithful. Why do we need it? Men identify with abstract collectives of which each person cannot know all the members. Human groups are “imagined communities” to use the expression of the historian Benedict Anderson.
The nation, “god of the Nationals”
Transposed to the framework of secular and multi-faith nations, we could say that “the nation is the god of the Nationals”, with the State as the main organizer of the celebrations. The army, as the protective force of the Republic, can be associated with these ceremonies, as during July 14 in France. And, even at other less spectacular moments, but with the same objective. Thus Emmanuel Macron tried to bring military symbols into school, with the experimentation of the uniform. However, it is very doubtful that they have the virtue that is attributed to them. No study has shown the effect of ceremonies on national sentiment.
Once built, a nation must reproduce itself in order to exist, making each new generation adhere to it. What allows the reproduction of identification with the Republic? Political leaders highlight secular homilies and exposure to symbols of the national faith. So schools should bear the motto of the Republic, and schoolchildren should have civic and moral education lessons – France has the most developed curriculum in Europe, and some recommend making gathering under the flag to sing the national anthem compulsory.
Social science work is very doubtful about these mechanisms: civic culture cannot be learned like a course, and seeing the flag does not instill any value in the minds of young people. It is also very logical. If religious celebrations were the source of faith, the latter could not decline. They would mechanically reproduce membership, in a way. And the same would apply to the nation-state and its national holiday, or school rituals. It is more likely that the mechanism works the other way: the diffusion of a belief increases the size of ceremonial gatherings. As it fades, participation declines.
The daily school experience
In a large study of young people’s relationships with the Republic, La Nation inachieve, youth facing school and the police (Grasset, 2022), we were able to show that these depended above all on concrete contacts with administrative agents, schools and the police. The abstractions of the nation and the State cannot be encountered, but the teacher or the policeman can. And the accumulation of sensitive experiences will give them meaning.
What matters is not being able to read the Republican motto and sing the national anthem, but it is the daily experience of school: being “good” there, having “good” relationships with the teachers, realizing that you are not educated in a ghetto establishment, or even not being discriminated against in terms of orientation because of your gender or your physical appearance – which is unfortunately demonstrated by several studies. This is perhaps the reason why young Muslims feel more French when they are educated in private establishments.
Discriminatory experiences erase Republican support
This is also true for the police. When adolescents have, for example in a school context aimed at preventing risks or addictive behavior, positive contacts with the police, they adhere more to the idea of open secularism, or believe more in the importance of voting.
Conversely, experiences of discrimination which result in repeated controls erase all this Republican support. Young people who are checked multiple times, who are brutalized during checks, lose their faith in the values promoted by the State, and in the idea that the national collective is made for them. Should we specify that they are more often than not those from poor neighborhoods and belonging to ethnic minorities?
The basis of attachment to the Republic lies in the contacts of youth with agents of the State administration because they are the mediators between them and the imagined identities and values put forward for the Nation. This is why, without a fairer school and police, the Republic will not be stronger.
About opinions
This text is signed by a guest author. He expresses his opinion and not that of the editorial staff. Our Live section aims to allow the expression of pluralism on religious, social and current affairs subjects, and to encourage dialogue, according to the criteria set by our editorial charter.
Share your opinion in comments or by writing to us at: readers.lacroix@groupebayard.com
