NEWREGIO

The NEWREGIO project aims to examine the transformations of democratic political systems in Europe through the often-overlooked lens of territorial realignments driven by the unprecedented resurgence of regional nationalism in Corsica and Sardinia. These cases challenge existing scholarship in two ways: 1) unlike the most frequently studied cases, which originate in prosperous regions, they offer counterintuitive examples of movements that were long minority or even marginal but have now been brought to power in poor and dependent regions; 2° despite statutes providing for greater decentralization—typically used to address such demands—these territories are now calling for 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 discern the degree of innovation specific to contemporary mobilization or the reuse of older frameworks. It then sets out to characterize the specific ideological framework—encompassing cultural, economic, and political-administrative dimensions, including an environmental component—unique to these political actors, and to analyze the sociological drivers of their success in public opinion and the institutional impact they exert.

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