Overview
Revolutionary France gave the modern world the concept of the 'nation-in-arms', a potent combination of nationalism, militarism and republicanism embodied in the figure of the conscript. But it was not a concept shared by those most affected by conscription, the peasantry, who regarded the soldier as representative of an entirely different way of life. Concentrating on the militarised borderlands of eastern France, this book examines the disjuncture between the patriotic expectations of elites and the sentiments expressed in popular songs, folktales and imagery. Hopkin follows the soldier through his life-cycle to show how the peasant recruit was separated from his previous life and re-educated in military mores; and he demonstrates how the state-sponsored rituals of conscription and the popular imagery aimed at adolescent males portrayed the army as a place where young men could indulge in adventure far from parental and communal restraints. The popular idea of moustachioed military folk-heroes contributed more to the process of turning 'peasants into Frenchmen' than the mythology of the 'nation-in-arms'. WINNER OF THE 2002 RHS GLADSTONE PRIZE. DAVID HOPKIN received his Ph D from Cambridge University in 1997. He is lecturer in Social History in the Department of Economic and Social History, University of Glasgow.
Full Product Details
Author: David M. Hopkin
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint: Royal Historical Society
Volume: v. 28
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 3.10cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.001kg
ISBN: 9780861932580
ISBN 10: 0861932587
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 01 February 2002
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print
Availability: Awaiting stock
Reviews
This probing study has wide significance of an understanding of popular culture, gender and national identity... the product of meticulous research and high intelligence. AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Opens up the subject in a boldly original way...in a sophisticated and confident work. MODERN & CONTEMPORARY FRANCE
This probing study has wide significance of an understanding of popular culture, gender and national identity... the product of meticulous research and high intelligence. AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEWBR identity... the product of meticulous research and high intelligence. AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEWBR> Opens up the subj
This probing study has wide significance of an understanding of popular culture, gender and national identity... the product of meticulous research and high intelligence. AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Opens up the subject in a boldly original way...in a sophisticated and confident work. MODERN & CONTEMPORARY FRANCE
