ABSTRACT
‘Of all the regions within the borders of the French state, Alsace has one of the most clearly defined personalities’ (Stephens 1976: 341). This statement may sound surprising in view of the extraordinarily complex history of the region, which has been profoundly influenced by two major nations (France and Germany). The Alsatians have gone through many periods of conflicting loyalties, which have caused some writers on the subject to talk about a ‘crisis of identity’ (e.g. Haug 1984) or ‘le particularism alsacien’ (Philipps 1975).
