88092 - Nationalism And Secessionalism

Learning outcomes

The course provides conceptual tools for the study of minority nationalism in a comparative perspective. Students will be able to examine secessionist dynamics in contemporary democracies and will gain knowledge of plurinational federalism.

Course contents

The course will analyze minority nationalism in contemporary democracies, focusing on secession and federalism as an alternative to secession. It provides conceptual tools (theories of nationalism and secessionism, comparative federalism) to analyze the development of secessionist dynamics in territorial politics. It will cover the following case studies: Belgium (Flanders); Canada (Quebec); United Kingdom (Scotland and Northern Ireland); Spain (Catalonia and Basque Country); Italy (Veneto and Lombardy). The cases of Switzerland and India will also be analyzed as examples of plurinational federalism.

Readings/Bibliography

I. Theory

Belser E. M. et al. (ed.), 2015, States Falling Apart? Secessionist and Autonomy Movements in Europe, Stampfli Verlag: 1) M. Burgess, Divided We Stand: Autonomy or Secession in Federation? (pages 15-35); 2) R. Watts, Can Federal Political Systems Accommodate National Minorities? (pages 37-46); 3) G. Färber, Economic Aspects of Secessionist Movements (pages 125-133);

Buchanan A., 1998, The international institutional dimension of secession, in Percy B. Lehning (ed.), Theories of secession, Routledge, pages 227-256;

Hechter M. Containing nationalism, Oxford University Press, 2000: chapter 1 (Nationalist puzzles, pages 1-17);

Keating M., 2001, Nations against the State: the new politics of nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland, Palgrave: chapter 1 (pages 1-22);

Kymlicka W., 1998, Is federalism a viable alternative to secession?, in Percy B. Lehning (ed.), Theories of secession, Routledge, pages 111-150;

Requejo F. and M. Caminal Badia (eds), 2012, Federalism, Plurinationality and Democratic Constitutionalism. Theory and Cases, Routledge: chapters 1 and 5 (pages 1-13 and 108-133);

Simeon R., 2015, Is Federalism Like Snow, and Is It Exportable? Some Cautionary Notes on the Study of Federalism, in Basta K., J. McGarry and R. Simeon (eds), Territorial pluralism: managing difference in multinational states, University of British Columbia Press, pages 99-120.

II. Case-studies

1. Belgium

Popelier P., 2015, Secessionist and Autonomy Movements in Flanders: The Disintegration of Belgium as the Chronicle of a Death Foretold?, in E. Belser et al. (eds), States falling apart? Secessionist and Autonomy Movements in Europe, Stämpfi Verlag, pages 215-246;

Swenden W., 2012, Belgian Federalism: Means to an End?, in F. Requejo and M. Caminal Badia (eds), Federalism, Plurinationality and Democratic Constitutionalism. Theory and Cases, Routledge, pages 137-170.

2. Canada

Dumberry P., 2015, The Secession Question in Quebec, "Diritto pubblico comparato ed europeo", No. 2, pages 357-380;

Keating M., 2001, Nations against the State: the new politics of nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland, Palgrave: chapter 4 (Quebec, pages 65-114);

Resnick P., 2012, Canada. A Territorial or a Multinational Federation?, in F. Requejo and M. Caminal Badia (eds), Federalism, Plurinationality and Democratic Constitutionalism. Theory and Cases, Routledge, pages 171-184.

3. United Kingdom

Frosini, J., 2016, Was It an Act of Self-Dissolution? Brexit and the Future of the United Kingdom, in “Le istituzioni del federalismo”, Special Issue on Brexit, pages 21-40;

Hepburn E., 2015, Scottish Nationalism and Independence Debates, in E. Belser et al. (eds), States falling apart? Secessionist and Autonomy Movements in Europe, Stämpfi Verlag, pages 147-174;

Keating M., 2001, Nations against the State: the new politics of nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland, Palgrave: chapter 6 (Scotland, pages 163-216).

4. Spain

Caminal M., 2012, The Spanish "Estado de las Autonomías": Between Nationalist Resistance and Federal Horizon, in F. Requejo and M. Caminal Badia (eds), Federalism, Plurinationality and Democratic Constitutionalism. Theory and Cases, Routledge, pages 324-364;

Guibernau M. 2013, Secessionism in Catalonia: After Democracy, "Ethnopolitics", vol. 12, No. 4, pages 368-393; 

Keating M., 2001, Nations against the State: the new politics of nationalism in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland, Palgrave: chapter 5 (Catalonia, pages 115-162);

Requejo F. and M. Sanjaume, 2015, Recognition and Political Accommodation: from Regionalism to Secessionism – The Catalan case, in J.F. Grégoire and  M. Jewkes (eds), Recognition and redistribution in multinational federations, Leuven University press, pages 107-132.

5. Italy

Baldini G. and B. Baldi, 2014, Decentralization in Italy and the troubles of federalization, «Regional & Federal Studies», Vol. 24, No. 1, pages 87-108;

Baldi B., 2018, Second Chamber Reform in Italy: Federalism Left Behind, "South European Society & Politics», Vol. 23, No. 3, pages 387-403.

6. Switzerland

Dardanelli P., 2012, Multi-Lingual but Mono-National Exploring and Explaining Switzerland’s Exceptionalism in F. Requejo e M. Caminal Badia (a cura di), Federalism, Plurinationality and Democratic Constitutionalism. Theory and Cases, Routledge, pages 295-323;

Erk, J., 2010, Explaining Federalism. State, society and congruence in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany and Switzerland, Routledge: chapter 6 (Switzerland, pages 73-86).

7. India

Adeney K. and Bhattacharyya H., 2018, Current challenges
to multinational federalism in India, in "Regional & Federal Studies", Vol. 28, No. 4, pages 409-425;

Kohli, A., 2004, India: Federalism and the Accomodation of Ethnic Nationalism, in U. Amoretti and  N. Bermeo (eds), Federalism and Territorial Cleavages, The Johns Hopkins University Press, pages 281-329.

Teaching methods

Conventional teaching method. Workshops in which students will have to present and discuss further readings will be organized.

Assessment methods

Grades are based on final paper (70%) and participation to group discussion (30%). For students who do not attend the course there will be an oral examination on the recommended readings: all the readings of section I and readings of three case-studies, chosen by the student, among those listed in section II.

Teaching tools

Slide projector for power point.

Office hours

See the website of Brunetta Baldi