Why modern nation-states must invent myths to survive and maintain their internal stability

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: French philosopher Étienne Balibar argues that no nation-state possesses a true ethnic foundation. To mask internal conflicts like class struggle, states fabricate fictive ethnicities through institutions like schools and the nationalization of the family. This creates an illusion of unity, but it is a fragile, constructed political necessity.

Étienne Balibar, a prominent French philosopher born in 1942, has spent decades dissecting the mechanisms of power, ideology, and the state. His intellectual trajectory began in the 1960s under the influence of Louis Althusser, with whom he co-authored the seminal 1965 work Reading Capital. This early engagement with Marx evolved into a broader critique of how political structures define human identity and social cohesion.

Central to Balibar's political philosophy is his analysis of the nation-state. He contends that the concept of a nation existing prior to its state is a contradiction; rather, the state is always implied in the formation of a nation. Because no nation-state has a genuine ethnic base, they must manufacture 'fictive ethnicities' to project an image of stability. This is achieved by scouring history for origin myths and using schooling to forge linguistic communities, effectively replacing traditional family functions with state-regulated social security and marriage administration.

Balibar also challenges traditional interpretations of Marx, particularly regarding the category of labor. In his 1994 book Masses, Classes, Ideas, he highlights a conflict in Capital between labor as a revolutionary subject—the proletariat—and labor as an objective condition for capitalist reproduction. He notes that the term 'proletariat' nearly disappears from the first edition of Capital, suggesting that revolutionary subjectivity is not a natural property but something that must be actively sought within specific historical conjunctures. This skepticism toward fixed political forms, such as parties or unions, remains a hallmark of his work.

In recent years, Balibar has addressed the challenges of the modern era, including the rise of populism and the complexities of secularism. He describes the current integration of state, market, and social control as 'absolute capitalism.' By examining the intersections of race, class, and citizenship, Balibar continues to interrogate the foundations of political philosophy, urging a deeper understanding of the forces that shape our collective identities.

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