The Misconception of France’s Identity: Aknowledging its southern European nature

" I have chosen to write this essay in English because the perspective I am presenting—that France should be understood primarily as a Latin and Mediterranean country is often misunderstood in the Anglosphere and, more broadly, in Northern Europe. In English-speaking contexts, France is frequently grouped together with Germany, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom under the label of “Western Europe.” While this classification may seem natural from a northern or Anglo-Saxon point of view, it obscures France’s profound cultural, linguistic, and historical ties with Southern Europe.

My aim is therefore to explain, in a language accessible to English-speaking readers, why France belongs fundamentally to the Latin world, alongside Spain, Italy, and Portugal. By doing so, I hope to challenge some common misconceptions and to provide a clearer understanding of France’s true identity within Europe."

France and the misleading “Western Europe” Label

In many Anglo-Saxon societies, France is commonly portrayed as a central figure of “Western Europe,” alongside Germany, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom. This view, deeply embedded in geopolitical and media discourse, tends to neglect the deeper cultural and historical reality of France’s identity.

Geographically, France is indeed in the western part of Europe, but this alone says little about its identity. Spain and Portugal are located even further west, yet in the English-speaking world they are rarely included in the same “Western Europe” category.

What the Anglosphere usually designates as “Western Europe” does not refer to its original historical meaning (the western half of the Roman Empire, that is, Latin Europe), but to a modern, northern-centered definition that emphasizes Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.

This categorization obscures the fact that France shares profound historical, cultural, and economic ties with Southern Europe, particularly Italy and Spain. From language to religion, from cuisine to architecture, France’s identity is anchored far more deeply in the Latin Mediterranean world than in its Germanic northern neighbors said "western Europeans".

For many in the Anglosphere, this is difficult to grasp. Seen from a northern European perspective, Latin countries are often depicted as “exotic” or “backward,” while France is imagined as a northern-like neighbor that heavily influenced Germanic cultures. Yet geographical proximity does not erase cultural reality: France is not part of the Germanic world, but of the Latin one.

French language : A language deeply rooted in the mediterranean

The French language is perhaps the most fundamental expression of French identity, and its roots lie firmly in Latin, the language of Rome. Along with Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian, French is a Romance language that developed from Vulgar Latin, placing it in the same linguistic family and continuum.

Unlike Germany, the Netherlands, or the UK, which belong to the Germanic language sphere, France’s linguistic heritage binds it tightly to its southern neighbors. This Latin foundation underlies not only vocabulary and grammar, but also a shared cultural identity across Romance-speaking countries.

For the French, their language is not primarily an “elitist” or “aristocratic” tool, as it is sometimes perceived in the English-speaking world. Instead, it is the people’s language, deeply tied to everyday life, rural traditions, and national pride. Beyond standard French, the country has historically been home to a variety of local dialects—most of them, again, derived from Latin. For many French people, language is a direct link to their ancestors, their terroirs, and to a common Mediterranean and Latin heritage that connects them to Spain, Italy, Portugal, and even Latin America.

Religion: Catholicism as a Shared Foundation

For centuries, Catholicism has been a defining element of French culture, just as it has been for Italy and Spain. From the Roman Empire to the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, from the monarchy of the Ancien Régime to modern traditions, the Catholic faith shaped France’s collective mentality, customs, and institutions.

Even if France is very secular, its religious festivals, rituals, and holidays, such as Assumption Day, are still align it more with the Catholic South than with the Protestant North of Europe. More subtly, Catholicism also influenced the attitudes, moods, and social behaviors of the French people. Many traits often seen as “typically French” have their roots in this Catholic tradition.

Culture and Lifestyle: A Mediterranean Rhythm

Much of what is stereotypically considered “French” in fact reflects broader Southern European traditions:

• Meals and family life: The French long lunch, stretching well into the afternoon, mirrors the central role of meals and social gatherings in Italy and Spain.

• Fashion and aesthetics: While Paris developed its own industry, French fashion shares deep ties with Italian and Spanish textile and design traditions.

• Greetings and sociability: Practices such as kissing on the cheeks resonate with Mediterranean customs, contrasting with the more reserved northern European styles.

  
  

Even French urban and architectural patterns reveal Mediterranean roots. The first French cities were Greek foundations (e.g., Massalia/Marseille), later reorganized through Roman grid-based planning. Narrow streets, public squares, and human-scaled city centers across France reflect this legacy.

Architecture and Gardens: Italian Inspiration, French Adaptation

French Renaissance architecture emerged directly from Italian influence, blending medieval traditions with the principles of symmetry, proportion, and ornamentation borrowed from the Renaissance. The Loire Valley castles, Fontainebleau, and later classical architecture all bear witness to this southern heritage.

The same is true of landscape design. The famous jardins à la française—Versailles being the most iconic example—were inspired by Italian Renaissance gardens, especially those of Tuscany. France perfected and monumentalized these principles, but their origin lies clearly in the Mediterranean world.

Intellectual Heritage: The Latin Roots of Reason

French intellectual identity is equally Mediterranean. The French philosophical tradition of raison (reason) draws directly from Greek philosophy and Roman thought, revitalized through the Italian Renaissance.

René Descartes, often considered the father of modern philosophy, embodied this intellectual heritage with his famous Cogito, ergo sum. His thought cannot be separated from the long lineage of classical, Roman, and Renaissance humanism that nurtured French philosophy.

Even geographically, this connection is visible: Descartes’ native Loire Valley was also where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years, symbolizing the transfer of Renaissance ideas from Italy to France.

France as a Mediterranean Nation

The widespread categorization of France as part of a northern-centered “Western Europe” misses the deeper truth of its cultural identity. From its Romance language and Catholic heritage to its Mediterranean-inspired architecture, cuisine, and intellectual traditions, France’s roots are Latin and Southern European.

Of course, géographically, France is a bridge : it has interacted with and influenced both the North and the South of Europe. But its core identity—linguistic, cultural, religious, and intellectual—remains Mediterranean in essence.

France should therefore be understood not simply as a “Western European” nation in the Anglophone sense, but as part of the Latin world, alongside Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Its history and culture testify to a Mediterranean heritage that has profoundly shaped both French society and Europe as a whole.