This dynamic narrative delves into the history of Corsican nationalism to the present day.
In the territorial elections in 2015, the Corsican assembly witnessed for the first time a nationalist victory bringing together several autonomist groups. But perhaps this is no surprise. Attached to the Republic of Genoa for four centuries, Corsica enjoyed a brief period of independence from 1755 to 1769 before joining the French Republic. Although Corsican national identity has always been a hot topic for a large swathe of the population, the fight only really got started in 1976 with the creation of FLNC, an independence movement. Journalist Hélène Constanty looks back at these events and explains the main steps that led to this frenetic and divisive movement, including the assassination of a prefect in 1998 and a deeply embedded culture of score-settling and mafia mechanisms. The FLNC officially put an end to their armed struggle in 2014, but the situation remains extremely tense on this island of 335,000 inhabitants.
