ERMoCEU · Ethno-regionalist movements in the contemporary EU

Ethno-regionalist movements (ERMs) are civil society organisations seeking greater regional self-government as well as protection and promotion of the regional territory and community. Although hundreds of ERMs operate in the Member States of the European Union (EU), ranging from student unions to paramilitary groups, with new ones emerging, defunct ones resurging, and many radicalising their demands, we lack knowledge about these actors’ objectives, strategies, and structure. This project, carried out at the School of International Studies of the UniTrento, investigates ERMs as neglected actors of regional emancipation in the contemporary EU. Drawing on Political science, Political geography, and Media communication for this interdisciplinary phenomenon and using innovative mixed-methods methodology, this project (i) identifies all relevant ERMs in the EU regions and generates novel, time-sensitive data on their territorial objectives, member base, internal organisation, and radicality of actions; (ii) explains these characteristics using region-specific factors; and (iii) evaluates the content and nature of ERMs’ social media communication as the most tangible and comparable expression of their behaviour. These findings are triangulated with (iv) interviews with these movements’ members, completing a comprehensive inquiry into ERMs’ role in times of increased ethno-territorial contestation. Project outputs comprise three original articles, a synthesising monograph, and an interoperable dataset containing ERMs’ characteristics. Intersectorality will be exploited through cooperation with Istituto Camillo Bellieni, a regional cultural organisation involved in public policy-making. Project results will be popularised through news articles, public events, and social media. This project incorporates substantial methodological training to enhance my career development while adhering to Open Science and research sustainability.