Une autre approche de la nation: Marcel Mauss

Abstract

The originality of the Maussian concept of Nation is due in great part to the double opposition from which it unfolds: opposition to the State on one side, and opposition to nationalism on the other. Mauss does not state this idea a priori but rather constructs it gradually on the grounds of his vast empirical study of the development of (all) human societies. The method is thus ethnological and sociological and not that of political theory. It has nonetheless the potential for generalization, at least in two respects. Firstly, it serves to illustrate and give substance to Mauss' conception of society or, better still, to what he deems is the necessary development of societies. Second, it acts as justification for his political stance within his own, modern, society. To state it clearly, Mauss's definition of the Nation is the theoretical cornerstone of his socialist commitment.