South Tyrol: What Happens After Peace? Lessons from a Changing Autonomy
Dr Andrea Carlà, is a Senior Researcher at Eurac Research Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. [1]
This INCORE blog is based on: Andrea Carlà, “Shifting Political Landscapes and Outbidding Effects in South Tyrol: Narratives of South Tyrolean Political Forces towards the Autonomy System,” EJM Europäisches Journal für Minderheitenfragen, 18, 1-2 (2025): 221-246.
Introduction
South Tyrol, a small autonomous province in northern Italy, has long been seen as a success story of peacebuilding and managing diversity. Home to German-, Italian-, and Ladin-speaking communities, since 1972 the province is characterized by a sophisticated autonomy and power-sharing system which contributed to appease ethnic tensions and foster a stable system of coexistence. Yet recent political developments suggest that even well-established peace arrangements remain subject to change.
Image supplied by Andrea Carlà
The 2023 provincial elections marked a turning point. For the first time, the Südtiroler Volkspartei (SVP), the party that historically represented German-speakers and governed South Tyrol together with Italian-speaking center/center-left parties, lost its dominant position and was forced to create a broader governing alliance with both German and Italian-speaking parties, including right-wing political forces that were once considered unlikely allies. This shift reflects deeper changes in how political actors and voters relate to the autonomy system, raising the questions: what happens after a “successful” settlement has been institutionalized? And what can South Tyrol tell us about how people continue to live with, negotiate, and reshape peace?
TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Map highlighting the location of the province of South Tyrol in Italy (in red)
From Conflict to Peaceful Coexistence?
South Tyrol’s autonomy system was designed
to manage divisions between German-speaking residents and the Italian state. After
years of tensions, the province was granted extensive self-government
alongside a power-sharing system ensuring that all language groups are
represented in government and the recognition of several linguistic and
cultural rights. Through measures
such as proportional representation, linguistic quotas in public employment,
and separate education systems, the institutional framework has ensured both
inclusion and stability, protecting minority rights and creating conditions
for peace and economic prosperity.
At the same time, these arrangements are
not neutral, but structure social and political life along linguistic lines.
Despite peace and stability South Tyrolean society is still characterized by a certain
degree of division. Everyday interactions continue to be shaped by group boundaries,
and many social networks remain within linguistic communities, though linguistic
divisions are eroding over time. In particular, South Tyrol’s political
system is still largely divided along linguistic lines. Despite the presence of
inter-ethnic parties, German- and Italian-speaking voters tend to
support different political forces, creating two
parallel political arenas.
A changing political landscape
For decades, the SVP dominated the
German-speaking side and South Tyrolean political life, promoting autonomy as
the best way to protect minority rights. At the same time, since the 1980s more
radical parties emerged, suggesting that autonomy is no longer enough and pushing
for the right of self-determination for South Tyroleans and full independence
from Italy. This competition recalls what experts call “ethnic
outbidding,” where parties adopt stronger, more nationalist positions to
win votes. In order to overcome the hegemony of the SVP, other German-speaking
parties have adopted a radical political agenda.
On the Italian-speaking side of the political arena, the story has been different. In the past, nationalist right-wing parties often criticized the autonomy system, arguing it disadvantaged Italian speakers. But over time, these positions have softened, shifting towards a more accommodating position that increasingly frames autonomy as a shared institutional resource rather than a threat and zero-sum arrangement. Competing for the possibility to govern with the SVP, as mandated by the power-sharing system, all relevant Italian parties, including right-wing political forces, have started to support autonomy and want to participate in it rather than oppose it, in order to be considered as a viable coalition partner.
Beyond South Tyrol: Rethinking “Post-Conflict” Contexts
These diverging trends in South Tyrolean
political landscape highlight an important insight: peace settlements and
institutional design do not affect all groups in the same way. They can produce
different political dynamics depending on how communities position themselves
in relation to those institutions. The South Tyrol case reminds us that institutions
matter and can be effective in ending tensions, but their long-term effects
are inherently dynamic and context-dependent since political narratives,
strategies and identities continue to evolve. The lesson is that institutions
continue to influence society over time and peace is an ongoing process of
negotiation shaped by the actors who engage with it and the circumstances in
which they operate.
[1] This blog was written
with the support of ChatGTP, used for language editing and photo enhancement.
