This international colloquium is part of the project "The Globalization of the Alps. From the Landscape to the Environment” currently being carried on at the University of Fribourg. It aims at historically evaluating how, at what pace, by whom and with which goals the globalization process of the Alps during the 20th century has unfolded. The main focus will be on studying the tensions existing between the construction of an identity of the mountainous regions and the ever-stronger interconnections between them.