Identity in a Divided Province: The Folklorists of Lorraine, 1860-1960

Although Lorraine has been a region of historic divisions and conflicts, it was a center for regionalist politics between the Second Empire and the Second World War. This article looks at a series of regionalists and the ways they defined Lorraine, from the decentralizers of the 1860s to the autonomists of the 1930s. Most were also folklorists since, in the absence of a clearly defined historical region, or even of a common language, folklore was cited as evidence for a culturally unified Lorraine, and therefore of a common Lorrainer identity. Folklore also supplied the relics of a more organic community, characterized by respect for traditional elites, for both folklorists and regionalists in Lorraine tended to be associated with the political right, from Social Catholics through to Fascists. Yet none proved able to mobilize Lorrainers behind a regionalist agenda, not least because the conflicting national claims over the region forced them to compromise with one or other nationalism. Despite the folklorists’ political motivations, one can perceive the outlines of a distinct regional culture (at least within each language group). Unfortunately for regionalists, this did not translate into a unified Lorrainer identity, but instead brought out more local and social divisions.