Publication

This paper examines the homogenization policies the German and French governments undertook to shape the national identity of Alsace-Lorraine. The text’s authors conclude that those areas that were exposed to the greatest homogenization efforts in the late-19th and 20th centuries subsequently became strong advocates of EU integration in later referenda. Given the data, one could conclude that homogenization efforts can lead to a revised sense of common national identity, which then confirms that government policy choices can indeed influence notions of collective identity.