Abstract
The roundtable will discuss in depth the South Tyrolean territorial and cultural diversity governance, generally considered a good example for addressing ethnic tensions, from socio-political as well as transnational perspectives. South Tyrol’s system has both a domestic and international dimension; in addition, over the years it has acquired a transnational dimension, in particular with the creation of the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. In this light, the roundtable will explore how in the province, measures to govern diversity and local and transnational institutions affect the relationship among the linguistic groups and other segments of the population and intersect with processes of securitization of minorities, as well as processes of otherings and bordering. The discussion will pursue the following goals: to provide insights on the extent the decade-long peaceful cohabitation in South Tyrol has translated into an integrated society, diluting the ethnic cleavage and the boundaries among communities; to debate how the perceptions of the linguistic groups and their fears towards each other as well as other segments of the South Tyrolean population has developed over time; to explore how social and democratic innovations have challenged the ethnic-linguistic division and fostered cooperation and integration among the linguistic groups; to shed lights on the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino as a tool for improving interstate relations and cohesion, overcoming negative views on borders, and overcoming physical as well as imaginary boundaries. Overall, the roundtable will provide different perspectives on mechanisms to address ethnic tensions and their intersection with transnational dynamics.