Religion policy and subnational identity construction in Alsace-Moselle, France, and Catalonia, Spain

Religious-secular clashes have contributed to the structure of political competition into the twenty-first century. Yet subnational regions did not experience the secular-clerical cleavage as states did. Historical experience with overlapping secular-clerical and centre-periphery cleavages has shaped how (sub)national communities approach the relationship between religion and territorial identity today. This essay builds a theory of the strategic use of religion to strengthen subnational identity using the cases of Alsace-Moselle and Catalonia. I argue that historical alignment of secular-clerical and centre-periphery cleavages has evolved to create a contemporary political opportunity structure for subnational elites to leverage religion to strengthen community identity and obtain authority devolution. As a result, I observe intrastate differences in religious pluralism policies and the framing of their links to community identity.