1. Traditional Ethno-Nationalism
As it emerged historically, nationalism was not based on ethnicity, but on cultural affinities. Yet, today ethnicity is the most recurrent claim (i.e. Tamil and Kurds). And it is an exclusivist claim
A less exclusivist nationalism is based on a common culture but not myths of common descent (social nationalism i.e. Catalans).
Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento

2. Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento
Grievances
Among nationalist movements there are Ethno-nationalist groups with a regionalist character. Regionalist groups promote the autonomy of specific ethnic nations within larger nation states.
Typically they claim that specific regions need to be protected from the economic or cultural predatory behaviour of nation states. They advocate an increase of various types of political and economic resources ranging from subsidies to depressed areas to the institutional protection of linguistic differences.
Their independence claims range from limited autonomy in specific sectors to seeking secession and promoting ethnic nationalism and statehood. In these claims they are similar to nationalistic groups and often it is difficult to differentiate them. A successful regionalist secessionist movement might become a nationalist party after secession.
Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento

3. Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento
The Literature
There are several theories to explain regionalism. They range from theories on internal colonialism, to theories that see it as a reaction to the demise of competing identities, such as the communist, religious or national identities. Also there are theories about loss of status, and economic dominance.
Nationalist-regionalist movements have been extensively studied in specific regions. Little work is available on their impact outside specific regions. Their ability to confront ethnic stereotypes, which affect their nationals in their relation with other groups, has received little attention.
Yet it is an important issue as ethnicity comes about when groups have contacts with each other, and these contacts occur especially among immigrant groups. Thus, an Irish identity has a special significance in London, different from the one in Ireland.
Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento

4. Regionalism and Nationalism
Although different in many respects, regionalist and nationalist formations share many traits such as the belief that cultural boundaries should be coterminous with political boundaries and a concern for 'protecting' communities from ‘enemies’.
An important issue is whether the 'other' is considered a non-resident of the region, such as is for the Basques, or whether there are more inclusive criteria such as traditional roots in the community or the mastery of a language.
For instance the Italian Lega Lombarda, a northern-Italian independentist movement, is concerned with Magrehbian immigration like the Italian Neo-Fascist party and has sometimes been classified as another neo-fascist groups and at other times as a regionalist, the like of the Catalans and Basques.
In other cases the 'enemy' of regionalist and right-wing nationalist groups is different. Regionalist parties are concerned with a specific dominant group of their nation-state such as the Basque and Catalan concern with the 'Castilians' or the Welch's concern with the English, whilst the right-wing nationalists define the enemy in 'racial' terms as the 'non-whites'.
The two sets of concerns can of course be both present at the same time, thus the Lega Lombarda feels militant against both non-white immigrants and Italian southerners. But more frequently there is a difference of political emphasis, which corresponds to a different characterization of the enemy, and the two types of movements propose different methods to enhance the communities of concern.
The idealized solution proposed by right-wing nationalist movements is the expulsion of immigrants or moves in that direction. Regionalist parties, which range in political orientation from right to a fairly radical left - as is for instance the tradition of the Sardinian Autonomist Party - are generally focusing on ensuring the institutional primacy of their nationals in their regions. However, in some cases, they might also advocate the expulsion of non-nationals from their territory such as is the case of parts of the Welch movement.
An important issue is whether the 'other' is considered a non-resident of the region, such as is for the Basques, or whether there are more inclusive criteria such as traditional roots in the community or the mastery of a language.
Carlo Ruzza - Università di Trento