{"product_id":"9781526194886","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW Inventing the Modern Region : Basque Identity and the French Nation-State by Talitha Ilacqua","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 20\/01\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book explores the process by which the French Basque country acquired a folkloric regional identity in the long nineteenth century. It argues that, despite its origins in pre-modern customs, this stereotypical identity was invented as part of France's process of nation-building. The abolition of privileges in 1789 prompted a new interest in local culture as the defining feature of provincial France, shaping the transition from the pre-`modern' province to the `modern' region. The relationship between the region and the nation, however, was difficult. Regional culture favoured the integration of the French Basque provinces into the French nation-state but also challenged the authority of the central state. As a result, Basque region-building reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the unitary model of French nationhood, in the nineteenth century as well as today. -- . \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368970301813,"sku":"9781526194886","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781526194886","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}