The Nation’s electorate. The loyalty of emigrants in the Roya Valley (1944-1949), by Lucie Bargel
The Nation’s electorate. The loyalty of emigrants in the Roya Valley (1944-1949)
Lucie Bargel is an associate professor of political science in Université Côte d’Azur, France. She is also a member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Her work on the franco-italien frontier was recently published in Dans l’écheveau de la frontière. Alignements et réalignements des attachements politiques dans la Roya (XIXè-XXIè siècles), Karthala, 2023.
Abstract: The 1947 referendum to ratify the transfer of Italian mountain villages to France reveals the political impacts of how the electorate is defined. The systematic comparison of local and national archives, both French and Italian, shows that the legal criteria of residency and place of birth contributed to a selection of eligible voters dictated by the expected national loyalty of different migrant groups. In order to obtain a favorable result, France recognized emigrants as legitimate political actors within the village.