peuple

Peuple is a French noun with several related senses. It can refer to a group that shares a common culture, language, ethnicity, or ancestral homeland, or to the inhabitants of a country or region as a collective. In everyday language, people speak of le peuple français or un peuple autochtone to emphasize shared identity rather than legal status. In political theory, the term often designates the population regarded as a political community with rights and duties, and sometimes as the source of sovereignty (the people as the sovereign). In constitutional and democratic contexts, the idea of popular sovereignty links legitimacy to the will of the people rather than a ruler or elite.

Peuple is distinct from nation and from the generic term population. A nation is usually a political and legal entity with defined borders and institutions, while peuple stresses cultural or ethnic belonging. The word populace is a more neutral reference to people living in a country, sometimes with connotations of the masses. The plural peuples is used when referring to multiple distinct groups, such as les peuples autochtones d’Amérique. In modern usage, peuple can appear in descriptive and argumentative rhetoric, including discussions of minority rights and self-determination.

Related terms include peuple indigène, groupe ethnique, nation, and communauté. See also ethnolinguistic group, popular sovereignty.