"This is the Land of My Forefathers”: Identity, Collective Memory & Territorial Preferences

Identity plays a key role in citizens' attitudes towards the state and towards federalism as a (potential) political system, often predicting strong support for regionalist (or even secessionist) parties. How is this regional identity expressed in citizens' relationship with the state, however? Do they draw from their regional past to imagine futures tailored to their regional identity? Do they use their past dealings with other territories to identify alternative state configurations? Which emotions does this regional identity hold for them, and how do these emotions affect political preferences? This paper tackles these questions through the study of the salience and expression of regional identities, collective memories and emotions in citizens' attitudes towards federalisation. The departure point for this research is a constitutive perspective that considers identity as an evolving phenomenon, where individuals can (and do) redefine the boundaries of their in-/out-group through different means and contexts. The paper draws from 90+ narrative interviews with citizens from four different regions in Belgium and Spain: Wallonia-Flanders, and Madrid-Catalonia. The case selection thus covers diversity of both regional histories and identities. The contexts of both Spain and Belgium, as European democracies which have institutionalised the existence of different national communities in the last 40 years, make them crucial case studies regarding the intersection between (sub-state) identities and alternative forms of state configuration. The study compares two generations: citizens born and grown in a centralised state (pre-70s Spain and Belgium) or in the contemporary (post-90s) quasi-federalised, Europeanised context. Such a design allows for a comparison of how identity is politically socialised within individuals’ life-context in, as well as an analysis of the transmission (or lack thereof) of regional histories across generations. The result is a constitutive work that sheds light on the discursive construction of regional collective memory and its link to territorial preferences.