Minorities and New Nationalisms in Western Europe. The Cases of Corsica and Sardinia

The research aims to identify the main factors that added up to the recent national revival in Western Europe and to frame this issue within a global context throughout a sociological as well as a juridical perspective. The two case-study (Corsica and Sardinia) have been choosen for three main reasons: 1) the geographical analogy; 2) the historical situation (the populations are both native minorities); 3) the two islands are both part of a european state member. These common charateristics enable a comparative study and allow to explain the differences between the sardinian and corsican parties in terms of electoral results and political praxis. National revival: a sociological perspective - National revival and the origin of national movements – the effects of globalization – Contemporary crisis of the nation-state – Social integration patterns in post-modernity – A new outlook: the inclusive ethno-nationalism – Socio-economic factors of nationalism Juridical settings for the inclusion of minorities A definition of minority – Minorities and citizenship – Self-government and cultural protection – Confronting french and italian political systems International reference points - An International Frame Convention on minorities – Minorities within the European Union The cases - Sardinia - Corsica