Separatist narratives and power subversion in Corsican crime fiction

Corsican crime fiction occupies a unique position within French crime fiction, by simultaneously engaging with and subverting conventional crime fiction tropes through its exploration of separatist themes. This paper examines how Corsican authors of the Albiana Nera series use the crime genre to challenge centralised power structures and redefine notions of ‘Frenchness’ in contemporary crime fiction. Through close analysis of Jean-Pierre Santini’s Corsica clandestina (2004) and Jean-Pierre Arrio’s Cosu nostru (2009), this paper posits that Corsican crime narratives transcend traditional genre boundaries by interweaving criminal investigations with broader questions of regional identity, political autonomy and resistance to mainland hegemony. In both texts, the separatist movement, rather than serving as mere background, becomes a crucial lens through which these narratives interrogate power dynamics and democratic legitimacy. It enables both writers to create narratives showcasing the epistemological dependence of the French state on local knowledge systems it cannot access or control. Santini’s portrayal of clandestine resistance and Arrio’s exploration of local power structures offer compelling examples of how regional crime fiction can challenge dominant political narratives. This regional perspective not only decentres French crime fiction, but also contributes to wider discussions about the genre’s capacity to address contemporary political challenges.