Symbols and Citizen Discourses of Region-Building in 'Low' Identity Regions

In both regional studies and (sub-)territorial politics, scholars have paid overwhelming attention to the ‘usual suspects,’ i.e. sub-state regions where there are demands, often historical, for greater autonomy within the context of a country. These demands usually come hand in hand with a distinct identity, and its associated symbols, in contrast to that of the overarching state. The nature (and origin) of such territoy can be varied, but they often combine a specific cultural context and a region-building effort crystallised through public policy. Regarding this latter 'official' character, existing literature has often focused not only on the definition of the ‘region,’ but also on ‘what does *this* region want’ and '*how* does it ask for it.' The answer is often linked to both discursive and institutional developments, including the reification of a 'people,' their sentiment of identification (which presupposes legitimation), and the symbols that represent the region (and which are often the same as in national narratives, from flags and anthems to folkloric traditions). In contemporary decentralised states such as those in most of Europe, however, these region-(nation)-building symbols are not only present in those territories with a historical past. Even regions that were born out of administrative reasoning, and without a distinct identity separate from the state *demos*, are nowadays bound by their entity status, their specific competences and powers, and even cultural idiosyncrasies linked to their territorial boundaries. Especially if this consolidation has happened over time, the same socialisation mechanisms and dynamics of nation-building that make sub-state nations interesting apply here too. Thus, we need to expand our scope and start (re)considering how identity construction and boundary-making dynamics play out in territories with 'low’ identity and symbolic presence. This is the objective of my research, that adopts an individual-centred approach to understand how citizens from such ‘low’-identity regions construct their belonging to the territory. My chosen case studies are Wallonia (Belgium) and Madrid (Spain), providing a comparative angle still unusual in studies of regionalism and political identity. These territories are both the counterpart, other-side-of-the-coin to two highly distinct regions that are part of the ‘usual suspects’ club: Flanders and Catalonia. We know much about these two latter cases, and we know that their discourse is often framed through strong political symbols (language, flag, narratives of struggle) and as opposition to an ‘Other,’ explicitly or implicitly consolidated in Wallonia and Madrid, respectively. In this context of dialegic and symbolic conflict, however, our knowledge of how (if) Wallonia and Madrid present a sense of regional community building is very limited. This paper adresses this gap by drawing from 50+ narrative interviews and surveys of citizens from Madrid and Wallonia. The study cuts across different generations (only people born before 1970/after 1990), to understand how socialisation and exposure to regional(ised) public policy may have affected new generations. The result is a constitutive work that shines light into how citizens make sense of the narratives and symbols behind their 'new' regions, as well as why they engage (or not) with region-building action.