Abstract
This article proposes to investigate the possibility of creating new national identities in Europe by analyzing the only recent case of such a partly successful invention: Padania, as northern Italy was renamed by the Lega Nord in 1995. It argues that this identity discourse combines an affirmation of the nation‟s modernity with the development of an ethno-symbolic construction of national identity. In addition, it provides a reflection on how the Lega‟s nation-building discourse has become acceptable for a broad (but not majoritarian) constituency in northern Italy.
Translated title of the contribution | How to invent a nation: Leessons from the Padanian case |
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Original language | Italian |
Pages (from-to) | 47-66 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Nazioni e Regioni |
Volume | 14 |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Keywords
- Lega Nord
- Padania
- nationalism of the rich
- ethnosymbolism