Damien CANAVATE

Thesis Proposal

Working Title: Contemporary Changes in the Cultural and Linguistic Policies of French Regions (1980s–2010s)

This dissertation project aims to examine contemporary transformations in public cultural and linguistic policies in French regions, in light of the long-term history of regionalist demands on the one hand, and recent administrative and territorial reforms on the other (decentralization measures, regional mergers, processes of territorial differentiation, etc.). Using comparative and socio-historical methods, the research project will explore three cases, all of which have undergone significant political and institutional restructuring in recent years: the Corsican regional authority, the Grand Est region and the future European regional authority of Alsace, and the Occitanie region. The central objective of this work is to explore the concrete consequences of regionalist mobilization in terms of public policy regarding culture, language, and local development. To better understand the mechanisms governing the development of public programs in the sectors where these demands are concentrated, the study examines how the dynamics of regionalism interact with other political forces. At a time when regionalism is becoming institutionalized and as certain territories are experiencing tensions between the center and the periphery, this research project situates the analysis of public policy in the sectors under consideration within the interplay between regionalism as a political ideology and electoral mobilization, regionalization as a legal-political process, and regional governance as a mode of local government.

Edited by Christophe Roux, professor of political science, CEPEL – University of Montpellier.