NEWREGIO

The NEWREGIO project proposes to examine the transformations of democratic political systems in Europe through the neglected dimension of territorial reorganization brought about by the unprecedented resurgence of regional nationalism in Corsica and Sardinia. These cases challenge the literature in two ways: 1) unlike the most widely studied cases, which originate in prosperous regions, they offer counterintuitive examples of movements that were long minority or even marginal but have now come to power in poor and dependent regions; 2) despite statutes organizing greater decentralization, which is usually used to respond to such demands, these territories are claiming new forms of enhanced autonomy or even independence. The project thus aims first to recontextualize the cycles of mobilization and their institutional frameworks in order to perceive the degree of innovation specific to contemporary mobilization or the recycling of old frameworks. It then sets out to characterize the specific ideological offer around the cultural, economic, and political-administrative dimensions, including an environmental component, specific to these political actors, and to analyze the sociological drivers of their success in public opinion and their institutional impact.

Project leader: Christophe Roux – Budget: €15,000