This book, first published as Quand la nation débordait les frontières (Hurtubise HMH, 2004), is considered the most comprehensive analysis of Lionel Groulx's work and vision as an intellectual leader of a nationalist school that extended well beyond the borders of Québec. 

Recipient of the 2005 Governor General's Literary Award in non-fiction, the original French edition also won the Michel-Brunet Award (Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française), the Prix Champlain (Conseil de la vie française en Amérique), and a medal awarded by the Québec National Assembly. It was also shortlisted for the Jean-Charles-Falardeau Award (Fédération canadienne des sciences humaines du Canada) and the City of Ottawa Book Award.

For over five decades, historians and intellectuals have defined the nationalist discourse primarily in territorial terms. In this regard, Groulx has been portrayed—more often than not—as the architect of Québécois nationalism. Translated by Ferdinanda Van Gennip, A Nation Beyond Borders will continue to spark debate on Groulx's description of the parameters of the French-Canadian nation. Highlighting the often neglected role of French-Canadian minorities in his thought, this book presents the Canon as an uncompromising advocate of solidarity between all French-Canadian communities.