Place-identity, regional belongingness and insularity

This study addresses the issue of the relationship between place-identity and regional belongingness, which is here developed in liaison with the theme of insularity. Particularly the topics which the present research endeavour to deepen are: 1) whether and when the place-identity coincides with the regional belongingness; 2) the perceived influence of one’s own regional belongingness on the life experiences and identities of individuals;3) the valences (emotional-affective, cultural and operative) attributed to this influence; 4) the presence of self-stereotypes referred to the inhabitants of one’s own region; 5) the presence of stereotypes and self-stereotypes referred to the characteristics of the inhabitants of an island in comparison with others;6) the spatial dislocation of attachment to places regarding one’s own place of birth; 7) the salience of regional boundaries; 8) the existence of eventual different answers between insular and non-insular individuals. The data collected were gathered through a semi-structured interview. The sample was composed of four sub-groups, both males and females, and between the ages of 25 and 65. The subgroups were divided on the basis of their different regional realities, and when coming from an island, on the basis of the different degree of insularity. The primary findings of the first stage of this ongoing project underline the cultural, trans-cultural, and non-cultural factors that make a contribution in the formation of the place-identity.