Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy

by André Lecours

Overview

The strength of secessionism in liberal-democracies varies in time and space. Inspired by historical institutionalism, Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy argues that such variation is explained by the extent to which autonomy evolves in time. If autonomy adjusts to the changing identity, interests, and circumstances of an internal national community, nationalism is much less likely to be strongly secessionist than if autonomy is a final, unchangeable settlement. Developing a controlled comparison of, on the one hand, Catalonia and Scotland, where autonomy has been mostly static during key periods of time, and, on the other hand, Flanders and South Tyrol, where it has been dynamic, and also considering the Basque Country, Québec, and Puerto Rico as additional cases, this book puts forward an elegant theory of secessionism in liberal-democracies: dynamic autonomy staves off secessionism while static autonomy stimulates it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192846754
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/07/2021
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 6.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

André Lecours, Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

André Lecours is Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. His research interests are nationalism and federalism. He is the editor of New Institutionalism: Theory and Analysis (University of Toronto Press, 2005); the author of Basque Nationalism and the Spanish State (University of Nevada Press, 2007), the co-author (with Daniel Béland) of Nationalism and Social Policy: The Politics of Territorial Solidarity (Oxford University Press, 2008); and the co-author (with Daniel Béland, Gregory Marchildon, Haizhen Mou and Rose Olfert) of Fiscal Federalism and Equalization Policy in Canada: Political and Economic Dimensions (University of Toronto Press, 2017).

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Nationalism and Secessionism: Autonomy, Static and Dynamic3. Catalonia : The Secessionist Turn4. Scotland: The Secessionist Surge5. Flanders: The Marginality of Secessionism6. South Tyrol: From Irredentism and Secessionism to Autonomy7. Nationalism, Secessionism, and Autonomy: the Basque Country, Puerto Rico, and Québec8. Towards a Theory of Secessionism in Liberal-Democracies9. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"original and highly stimulating work ... André Lecours has written a compact book with what promises to be a very large intellectual footprint." — Karlo Basta, Publius: The Journal of Federalism

"Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy takes a different perspective on one of today's most controversial social science problems. Rather than examining the formation and histories of separatist and nationalist movements, the book examines the essence of separatist movements and the institutional interactions that give rise to them. The book therefore opens a new window of thought for those interested in separatist movements." — Onur Isci, University of Edinburgh

From the Publisher