Belonging and Boundary Construction in ‘Low Identity’ Regions

The last decades of regionalisation studies have taught us that collective identity plays a key role in citizens' attitudes towards the state and towards federalism as a potential political system. Literature has often focused on state-less nations or regions with an otherwise highly distinct identity, where citizens' relation with the state is (usually) one of tension and negotiation. This paper contributes to our existing knowledge of the construction and salience of regional identity by analysing two non-traditional and understudied cases: Madrid (Spain) and Wallonia (Belgium). This paper thus opens the 'black box' of 'low identity' regions and their construction of distinct political cultures. Through the case study of Madrid and Wallonia, it addresses how regional belonging is conceptualised in relatively ‘young’ regions that have developed no particular regionalist political discourses or aspirations. The comparative angle also allows us to delve into the importance of rural-urban population distribution and of diversity in service provision. The presentation includes preliminary findings from 55 interviews conducted with madrileños and walloons on the topic of their regional belonging. The paper theorises that they present a strong sense of place-belongingness (attachment), but a very narrow (and influenced by other regions) sense of their own politics of belonging (identity).