"Nations without a past are contradictions in terms. What makes a nation is the past, what justifies one nation against others is the past, and historians are the people who produce it"

This quote by Eric Hobsbawm stresses the significance of a nation's past in specifying its identity. He suggests that a nation without a past is an oxymoron, as a nation's past is what makes it distinct and sets it apart from other nations. Hobsbawm also suggests that historians are the people who produce a nation's past, as they are the ones who record and interpret the occasions that have formed a country's history. This quote highlights the importance of history in understanding a country's identity and how it has actually evolved in time. It also highlights the function of historians in preserving and translating a country's past, which is essential for understanding its present and future.