88092 - Nationalism And Secessionalism

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will: acquire analytical tools for studying minority nationalisms from a comparative perspective; learn to interpret the secessionist dynamics present in contemporary democracies; and gain an understanding of the forms and challenges associated with multinational federalism.

Course contents

A course in comparative politics delivered in a seminar-based format (see "Teaching Methods"), focusing on minority nationalisms and secessionism, particularly—but not exclusively—in Western democracies. The course examines the dynamics of secessionist movements and the institutional mechanisms through which center–periphery conflicts are managed within states. Key questions addressed include: What are minority nationalisms, and what factors account for their emergence and development? Which political and institutional arrangements can accommodate center–periphery cleavages and contain secessionist mobilization? What is plurinational federalism, and what are its limitations? What is secession, and in what forms can it occur?

The course combines a theoretical framework with comparative case analysis. The theoretical component introduces the main concepts and analytical tools drawn from theories of nationalism, federalism, regionalism, and secession. Building on this foundation, the course examines a range of national and regional cases, including Belgium (Flanders), Canada (Quebec), the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), Spain (Catalonia and the Basque Country), Italy (South Tyrol/Alto Adige and Northern Italy), and Switzerland. In addition, India and Russia are analyzed as examples of non-Western plurinational federations.

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliography is divided into two sections: the first focuses on concepts and theories, while the second is devoted to case studies. Texts that are not available through the University’s digital resources will be made accessible on the Virtuale platform.

I. THEORY

• Anderson P., 2024, Territorial politics in Catalonia and Scotland. Nations in flux, Manchester, Manchester University Press; ch. 1 (The politics of accommodation in plurinational states, pp. 11-26).
• Buchanan A., 1998, The international institutional dimension of secession, in P. B. Lehning (ed.), Theories of secession, Routledge, pp. 227-256.
  
• Kymlicka W., 1998, Is federalism a viable alternative to secession?, in P. B. Lehning (ed.), Theories of secession, Routledge, pp. 111-150.
• Lecours A., 2021, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press: chapters: 2,8.
• Pavkovic, A. and Radan, P., 2007, Creating New States: Theory and Practice of Secession, Ashgate: ch. 1 (pp. 5-24).
• Requejo F. e Sanjaume-Calvet M. (eds), 2023, Defensive Federalism. Protecting Territorial Minorities from the "Tyranny of the Majority", Routledge: ch 1 (only pp. 1-12) and ch. 4 (only pp. 67-74)

II. CASE-STUDIES

1. Belgium

• Lecours A., 2021, Flanders – The Marginality of Secessionism, in A. Lecours, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press, pp. 96-120.
• Maddens B., 2018, Secessionist strategies: The case of Flanders, in Diego Muro and Eckart Woertz (Eds.), Secession and Counter-secession. An International Relations Perspective, Barcelona: CIDOB, pp. 55-62.
• Popelier P. (2021) Power-Sharing in Belgium: The Disintegrative Model, in S. Keil, A. McCulloch (eds.), 2021, Power-Sharing in Europe. Past Practice, Present Cases, and Future Directions, Palgrave, pp. 89-114.

2. Canada

• Dumberry P., 2022, The Secession Question in Quebec, in Jure Vidmar, Sarah McGibbon & Lea Raible (eds), Research Handbook on Secession, Elgar Publ., pp. 148-165
• Iacovino R., 2012, Partial Asymmetry and Federal Construction: Accommodating Diversity in the Canadian Constitution, in M. Weller e K. Nobbs (eds.), Asymmetric Autonomy and the Settlement of Ethnic Conflicts, University of Pennsylvania Press, pp. 75-96.
• Lecours A., 2021, Québec: A Weakening of Secessionism, in A. Lecours, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press, pp. 160-169.
• Lecours A., 2018, The two Quebec independence referendums: Political strategies and international relations, in Diego Muro and Eckart Woertz (eds.) Secession and Counter-secession. An International Relations Perspective, Barcelona: CIDOB, pp. 63-68.

3. United Kingdom

• Bonifati L., 2025, Brexit and the Northern Ireland Question: Towards a United Ireland? in "Osservatorio Costituzionale", AIC, No. 4, pp. 136-152.
• Lecours A., 2021, Scotland. The Secessionist Surge, in A. Lecours, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press, pp.72-95
• Murtagh C., 2021, Toward Inclusive Power-Sharing in Northern Ireland: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back, in S. Keil, A. McCulloch (eds.), 2021, Power-Sharing in Europe. Past Practice, Present Cases, and Future Directions, Palgrave, pp. 141-169 (except paragraphs 2 and 7)

4. Spain

• Anderson P., 2021, Consociational Compromise? Constitutional Evolution in Spain and Catalonia, in S. Keil, A. McCulloch (eds.), Power-Sharing in Europe. Past Practice, Present Cases, and Future Directions, Palgrave, pp. 201-225 (except paragraph 6)
• Cetrá D. and Swenden W., 2021, State nationalism and territorial accommodation in Spain and India, in “Regional & Federal Studies”, No.1, pp. 115-137.
• Lecours A., 2021, Catalonia. The Secessionist Turn (pp. 43-69), Basque Country: Secessionism and Violence (pp. 143-151), in A. Lecours, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press.

5. Italy

• Dalle Mulle E., 2018, The nationalism of the rich, Routledge; ch 4: “Northern Italy” pp. 71-90.
• Lecours A., 2021, South Tyrol. From Irredentism and Secessionism to Autonomy, in A. Lecours, Nationalism, Secessionism and Autonomy, Oxford University Press, pp.121-141.
• Pallaver G. and Brunazzo M., 2017, Italy: The Pendulum of “Federal” Regionalism, in F. Karlhofer and G. Pallaver (eds), Federal Power-Sharing in Europe, Nomos, pp. 147-180.

6. Switzerland

• Bhattacharyya H., 2007, India and Switzerland as multinational federations, in Burgess M. e J. Pinder (eds), Multinational federations, Routledge, pp. 212-224.
• Dardanelli P., 2010, Why Switzerland is Mono- not Multi-national. Historical, institutional, attitudinal and behavioural aspects, Centre for Federal Studies, Conference Paper, available at: https://dardanelli.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/dardanelli-fpdc-11.pdf 
• Dardanelli P., 2010, Federal Democracy in Switzerland, in M. Burgess e A.G. Gagnon (eds.), Federal Democracies, London, Routledge, pp. 142-15.

7. India

• Bhattacharyya H., 2007, Federalism and competing nations in India, in Burgess M. e J. Pinder (eds), Multinational federations, Routledge, pp. 50-67.
• Cetrá D. e Swenden W., 2021, State nationalism and territorial accommodation in Spain and India, in “Regional & Federal Studies”, No.1, pp. 115-137 (primi due paragrafi e sezioni sull’India)
• Curtis J. (2025), Kashmir: India and Pakistan’s longstanding dispute, in J. Curtis, Kashmir: Renewed India-Pakistan tensions, Research Briefing, House of Commons Library, only ch. 2, pp. 20-31; https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10264/CBP-10264.pdf
• Kohli, A., 2004, India: Federalism and the accommodation of ethnic nationalism, in U. Amoretti e N. Bermeo (eds), Federalism and Territorial Cleavages, The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 281-299.

8. Russia

• Bowker M., 2004, Russia and Chechnya: the issue of secession, in “Nations and Nationalism”, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 461-478.
• Gribanova G., 2011, Russian federalism: does it work?, in R. Saxena (ed), Varieties of federal governance, Foundations, pp. 86-103.
• Kolstø P., 2016, Introduction: Russian nationalism is back – but precisely what does that mean?, in P. Kolstø and H. Blakkisrud (eds.) The New Russian Nationalism. Imperialism, Ethnicity and Authoritarianism 2000–2015, Edinburgh University Press, solo pp. 1-7.
• Ross C., 2007, Russia’s multinational federation, in M. Burgess e J. Pinder (eds), Multinational Federations, Routledge, pp. 108-126.
• Sharafutdinova G., 2013, Gestalt Switch in Russian Federalism. The Decline in Regional Power under Putin, in “Comparative Politics”, Vol. 45, No. 3, only pp. 367-373.

Teaching methods

The course is taught in a seminar-based format, with mandatory attendance (a minimum of 70% of classes) and a maximum enrolment of 25–30 students. Following an initial series of lectures on key concepts and theoretical approaches (corresponding to the first section of the bibliography), students will take part in group work and present in class the readings related to the case studies (corresponding to the second section of the bibliography). These presentations will be preceded by introductory lectures.

Assessment methods

Assessment is designed to evaluate the achievement of the following learning objectives: (1) the acquisition of conceptual tools for the comparative analysis of nationalism and secessionism; (2) an understanding of the main mechanisms through which center–periphery tensions and secessionist dynamics are managed; and (3) in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the national and regional cases examined during the course.

The final assessment consists of a written paper, to be submitted one week before the scheduled examination date, and an oral examination based on its discussion. The paper (30,000–40,000 characters) must compare at least three of the cases covered in the course, applying the theoretical frameworks and analytical tools introduced during the programme and following the instructor’s guidelines. The written paper and its oral discussion account for 70% of the final grade. The remaining 30% is based on the assessment of students’ in-class presentations of the assigned readings, in accordance with the seminar-based teaching format (see “Teaching Methods”).

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations and multimedia materials.

Office hours

See the website of Brunetta Baldi