Negotiating nationalism: regional politics in Italy during the health crisis

Covid-19 has stimulated a revival of nationalism. Researchers and analysts have investigated this revival from different perspectives, including its impact on national/supranational relationships. Meanwhile, the health crisis has provided a framework for an increased political and organizational space for regional and local political actors, a topic which has been widely discussed in academic articles. However, limited attention has been paid thus far to the concomitant strengthening of nationalism and subnational (i.e., regional) politics. This paper aims to fill this gap by analysing how the driving forces of nationalism in Italy have been articulated at a regional scale through a process of replication, appropriation and conflict. Covid-related nationalism and regional politics are not independent processes but firmly interconnected. Each influences the other in a complex way, resulting in a simultaneous boost for both unity and fragmentation on a national scale. Nationalism is both reinforced and challenged by regional politics, with the long-term outcomes uncertain.