The rural regions of the old-industrialized Saarland - between globalization and regionalization.

Saarland is a federal state in western Germany, with strong cross-border links to the neighbouring countries of Luxembourg and northeastern France. The region is characterized by globalization processes, a very strong European cross-border integration process as well as internal regionalization processes. The region has a restructuring industrial economy, from coal and steel to a more diversified economy. It is an urbanized region and includes the city of Saarbrücken, which is also the state capital. Saarland is located in the so-called ‘Greater Region’, a term used to identify the transfrontier region Saar-Lor-Lux that contains the regions of Saarland, Lorraine, Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Wallonia. The formerly used term ‘Saar-Lor-Lux’ referred primarily (since 1969) to the industrialized borderland of Saarland, Lorraine and Luxembourg. Drawing from the regional distinctions between several European case study regions we can also recognise segmentation of specific local areas and identify how social distinctions within a region, for example between locals and migrants in Saarland, can downgrade relationships between both groups of people. Another focus of the research presented in this chapter is the arrangement of support for regional learning and innovation in rural Saarland with regard to globalization and regionalization. Learning and innovation are very important for rural regions because they develop capacities, knowledge and skills, which are especially needed in economically poor border regions like Saarland. Grassroots initiatives in Saarland therefore, help provide people in rural areas with new information, knowledge and skills as well as facilitate and support different stakeholders in learning to work together, to network and to reach a collective development aim.