Environmentalism and sub-state nationalism in Corsica: sixty years of evolving interactions

This article examines sixty years of interactions between sub-state nationalism andenvironmentalism in Corsica. Based on interviews, press archives and quantitativedata on attacks and land development, it identifies four main phases: early landconflicts, bomb attacks’ dominance, diversification of repertoires and post-2015dealignment following nationalist electoral success. We show that changing politicaland legal opportunity structures reshaped alliances and frames. While nationalismonce hegemonised environmental struggle through violence, its institutionalisationcreated tensions with increasingly judicialised environmental associations. TheCorsican case demonstrates how asymmetric institutionalisation paths – electoral fornationalists, judicial for environmentalists – can fracture historically aligned movements.