Independence, Self-Determination and Secession

Call for Papers: ‘Independence, Self-Determination, and Secession’ MANCEPT-Workshop, 10-12 September 2018, University of Manchester.

Dr Adam Fusco (University of York, UK) & Dr Anna Meine (University of Siegen, Germany)
[email protected] & [email protected]

At present the status of Catalonia, Scotland and the East of Ukraine are in question, the dispute concerning a Kurdish state is increasingly turning violent, and Brexit engages politicians and publics in all member states of the EU. Around the world, movements are making claims for self-determination and independence, and in cases have not ruled out unilateral acts of secession. However, groups who make these claims or exert their existing rights, often find them frustrated by political, legal, economic and (neo-)colonial forms of power. Against this background, theoretical inquiry into these issues is timely and important. This workshop aims to bring together scholars from different strands of academic discussion and theoretical and normative perspectives for an examination and critical discussion of the interrelated concepts of independence, self-determination and secession. It seeks to stimulate debate and new scholarship concerning the meaning and value of these concepts, as well as debate on the political validity and desirability of claims for these ideas at different times as well as in different contexts.

National and/or democratic self-determination is widely accepted as a basis for legitimate government. However, debates proliferate on the grounds of claims to self-determination, the groups holding these claims, as well as the significance of boundaries for this right. They are especially timely regarding post- and neo-colonial contexts, where these concepts are receiving significant discussion.

Claims to secession vary in terms of the nature of the group, the political unit groups are seceding from, as well as the historical context and the reasons provided for the claim. We are also interested in research on the forms and procedures of seceding, as well as in debates about secession and its alternatives. Normative scrutiny is required to determine whether claims to secession have validity and if cases can be treated differently depending on specific constellations they exhibit.

Independence as a political idea has shaped domestic as well as international developments for centuries. Historical as well as contemporary movements have aimed for independence in imperial, colonial and relatively just or democratic settings. In an increasingly interdependent and post-sovereign world, claims for independence are being made in a context where states are facing increasing pressure to assert their authority against competing sources of power, from sources such as the global market or supranational institutions.

To stimulate debate and scholarship on these issues we invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to:
• Decolonisation, neo-colonialism, self-determination, and the critique of empire
• The meaning of ‘independence’ in the history of ideas as well as in today’s increasingly post-sovereign world
• Theoretical reflections on Brexit, Scotland, Catalonia, etc.
• Beyond rights violations: domination-based and new approaches to secession
• Secession from democracies: unilateral vs. negotiated secession 
• Self-determination and the people: is self-determination possible without the nation?
• Self-determination and territorial rights
• Historical approaches to independence, self-determination and secession
• Federalism, regional autonomy or secession-rights: How should competing claims for self-determination be managed?

Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words as well as your contact information to Adam Fusco ([email protected]) & Anna Meine ([email protected]) by 27h May 2018. Accepted participants will be notified by 3rd June.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.

Additional Information: The general deadline for bursary applications for the MANCEP-Workshops (available to current graduate students/early-career researchers and retirees only) will be the 23rd June, and successful applicants will be informed by the 25th June. Please refer to the MANCEPT-Homepage for more information. Please note there is an attendance fee of £230.00 for academics and £135.00 for graduate students and retirees.