| Abstrakt: |
Tavolara and Mal di Ventre are two small uninhabited islands a few kilometers off Sardinia's coasts, in Italy, and both were claimed as micronations: the Kingdom of Tavolara and the Republic of Malu Entu. The rationale of these non-state entities is very different. Tavolara is claimed as island kingdom by the descendants of Giuseppe Bertoleoni, a shepherd from Corsica who settled the island in early 19th century, while the Republic of Malu Entu was founded by a political movement campaigning for the independence of Sardinia. The two represent different ways of understanding micronations. While for the former, the alleged statehood is a way of improving the social position of the claimants and promoting economic activity, Malu Entu pretends to be a political entity. Tavolara has no virtual institutions, and is not perceived as a danger by the Italian authorities, on the contrary Malu Entu was actively prosecuted by Italy. The intention of this article is to present and compare the two cases, analyzing the role of the media and the reaction of state authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
