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Defending national identity and interests: The Lega Nord’s asymmetric model of globalisation

par Huysseune, Michel
Référence Studies in ethnicity and nationalism, 10, 2, page (221-233)
Publication Publié, 2010-10

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

As a movement defending the interests of the richer northern regions of Italy, the Lega Nord proposes a nation-building discourse emphasizing the successful insertion of Padania (i.e. northern Italy) in the global economy. While its rhetoric exalts the virtues of a liberal economic model, in recent years, the party has also defended the exclusive right of Padania to economic protection. This economic protectionism finds a parallel in the party’s defense of cultural identity (although this identity equally expresses the capacity of Padanians to participate in the global economy). This defence intends to attribute Padanians a privileged position on their territory and hence proposes discriminatory practices towards outsiders, especially immigrants. The party hence solves the tension between its legitimisation of and resistance against globalisation by proposing an asymmetric model of globalisation that envisions an internal and international political order based on unequal rights and obligations (and thus privileges for Padania).