I think you're mixing cultural identity and historical identity.
Sure the first one is built on top of the second but mostly it's a by-product of society. People mostly become what they're surrounded by not because they're expert in history.
Yes, there's no question there's a French cultural identity (and one could argue the French from Europe and the French from North America are two different animals but it's a different matter), but that's not what the book is about.
The book is putting in question the French "heritage". Not the fact French people think they're French.
Sure the first one is built on top of the second but mostly it's a by-product of society. People mostly become what they're surrounded by not because they're expert in history.
Yes, there's no question there's a French cultural identity (and one could argue the French from Europe and the French from North America are two different animals but it's a different matter), but that's not what the book is about.
The book is putting in question the French "heritage". Not the fact French people think they're French.