Alsace to the Alsatians? : : Visions and Divisions of Alsatian Regionalism, 1870-1939 / / Christopher J. Fischer.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Berghahn Books Complete eBook-Package 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Fischer, Christopher J.,
• Place / Publishing House: New York ;, Oxford : : Berghahn Books, , [2010]; ©2010
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Series: Contemporary European History ; 5
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (254 p.)

The region of Alsace, located between the hereditary enemies of France and Germany, served as a trophy of war four times between 1870–1945. With each shift, French and German officials sought to win the allegiance of the local populace. In response to these pressures, Alsatians invoked regionalism—articulated as a political language, a cultural vision, and a community of identity—not only to define and defend their own interests against the nationalist claims of France and Germany, but also to push for social change, defend religious rights, and promote the status of the region within the larger national community. Alsatian regionalism however, was neither unitary nor unifying, as Alsatians themselves were divided politically, socially, and culturally. The author shows that the Janus-faced character of Alsatian regionalism points to the ambiguous role of regional identity in both fostering and inhibiting loyalty to the nation. Finally, the author uses the case of Alsace to explore the traditional designations of French civic nationalism versus German ethnic nationalism and argues for the strong similarities between the two countries’ conceptions of nationhood.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations and Terms -- Note on Places -- Note on Archives -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 Alsace Reborn: Emerging Visions of Alsace, 1895–1913 -- Chapter 2 Monuments, Museums, and Memory: Commemoration in Alsace, 1900–1914 -- Chapter 3 From Disunity to Unity: The Constitutional Debates and the Zabern Affair, 1910–1914 -- Chapter 4 War Weariness or National Reunion? World War I and Alsace, 1914–1918 -- Chapter 5 “Ne toucher pas de choses d’Alsace”: The Return of French Rule to Alsace, 1918–1925 -- Chapter 6 Dual Cultures and Contested Memories: Alsace in the 1920s -- Chapter 7 The Apogee of the Autonomist Movement -- Conclusion: Visions and Divisions -- Bibliography -- Index