Alpine memory and European construction

Following a long history of existence in the political, social and economic peripheries oř Europe, alpine territories and societies are today assuming a more central position, very different from the role they have been attributed for so long. In the context of recent European reconstruction, the alpine arc area is being claimed as a model for régionalisation, an experimental laboratory for new territorial structures and new policies within Europe. 1 he Alps now have the opportunity of becoming reintegrated into the centre of Europe, and of swapping their peripheral status within their respective national territories for one that is more central. Such a « trans-national » location will provide the Alps with the opportunity to play a leading role in the general development of these territories, and to write their own history. For some twenty years, local political actors have been creating virtual territories based on cross-border contacts, using tradition and history to legitimize the structures created and to ensure their acceptance by local inhabitants. Examples are the Hscartons between the Briançonnais and Piedmont regions, and the Mont-Rlnnc area between Haute-Savoie, Valais and Val d'Aoste. Underpinning these projects is the question of how to define the bases for these new territorial configurations and the ways in which the local population can become integrated in them. 1 he answer lies in building a shared memory and identity, a memory that is a blend of memory and territory, a memory that can be presented as a federating tool by those who re-appropnate it. In short, it involves using a combination of conveyed memory and « desired » memory to affirm the existence of a territory

Archaeology · Civil engineering · Collective memory · Context (archaeology) · Economic geography · Geography · Political science · Politics · Population · Regional science · Sociology · Underpinning · Cultural Identity and Heritage · Demography · Engineering · French Urban and Social Studies · Law