《何谓民族》是法兰西学院院士厄内斯特·勒南一次著名演讲的讲稿。这篇讲稿是在法德两国就“民族”定义展开论战的历史背景下问世的,它强调界定民族的标准只能是民众的政治意愿而非种族血统或语言文化。因此,这篇讲稿被后来的民族主义研究者视为政治民族主义的理论典范。不过,《何谓民族》与勒南其他著作的论调并不一致,勒南在《何谓民族》中的言论可能是言不由衷。 “What is nationality” is a speech by Ernest Lehnen, a famous lecturer of the French Academy. This speech was made under the historical background of the controversy over the definition of “nation ” by France and Germany. It emphasizes that the criteria for defining a nation can only be the political will of the people rather than the ethnic origin or the language and culture. Therefore, this lecture was later regarded by nationalist researchers as the theoretical model of political nationalism. However, what is meant by “nationality” is not consistent with the arguments of other Lehnan books. What Lenin said in “What is nationality” may be an insult.