Neanderthaland wrote:San Lumen wrote:wouldn't you say there's more of that now?
I see what you mean. There are Asians and Blacks and many other backgrounds in France too.
Well we were talking about before 1800. I'm sure there may have been Asians in Blacks in France at that time, but not in great numbers.
The point, and I may have expressed it poorly, is that "French" as an identity is sort of made up. All national identities are. You take people who don't necessarily have much in common, like Celtic Bretons, Nordic Normans, Romantic Gascons, and Germanic Alsatians, and convince them them all that their actually French. And, over time, their cultures begin to blend, and they tend to adopt the most common form of national language, and the fiction you've created becomes true.
I see your point but What fiction do you mean?