Independence Movements in Subnational Island Jurisdictions
The dynamics for any moves for political independence in the twenty-first century are very different from those of the twentieth. The aspirations of former colonies to independence are grinding to a halt; the rationale for self-determination is increasingly driven by strategic and pragmatic economic arguments, and not so much by nationalist appeals. Meanwhile, creative governance, fiscal vicissitudes and membership of supra-national bodies have ushered in examples of sovereign states that approximate suzerain entities. Are independence movements active today aspiring to a different kind of sovereignty from their twentieth-century predecessors, one that secures autonomy at home but maintains a special relationship with a larger, richer country? This collection critically reviews the origins, policies and aspirations of independence movements from the worlds subnational island jurisdictions, where a distinct and separate geography tends to facilitate the emergence of an equally distinct political and cultural identity. These island territories are the worlds top candidates for achieving sovereign status. And yet various factors are preventing them from making the final push towards independence.
This book was originally published as a special issue of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics.
Eve Hepburn (PhD, European University Institute, Florence) is Deputy Director of the Academy of Government and Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; Co-Editor of the Journal of Regional & Federal Studies; and Co-Convenor of the European Consortium for Political Research Standing Group on Federalism and Regionalism.
Godfrey Baldacchino (PhD, University of Warwick, UK) is Canada Research Chair (Island Studies) at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada; Visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Malta, Malta; Executive Editor, Island Studies Journal; and Vice-President, International Small Islands Studies Association.
This is an important addition to the territorial politics literature. The contributors provide a compelling account of the evolving nature of territorial mobilisation in subnational island contexts. In doing so, they challenge the orthodoxy that only full sovereignty can satisfy the aspirations of independence movements. The book provides an empirically rich account of the different and innovative solutions sought (and achieved) in response to demands for autonomy in island jurisdictions.
Dr Anwen Elias, Institute of Welsh Politics, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK
This collection provides a fascinating new insight into a much-debated question: how much autonomy can small jurisdictions have in an inter-dependent world? The focus on islands gives a fresh perspective on the question of political order in a global age.
Michael Keating, Professor of Politics and ESRC professorial fellow, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Almost everywhere on small islands, caution has replaced sovereigntist bluster, and pragmatism has prevailed in the search for safe, profitable and dignified alternatives. Offering a truly global perspective, this impressive collection of essays provides full coverage of the current state of play. Highly recommended.
David Milne, Professor Emeritus (Political Science), University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
Independence Movements in Subnational Island Jurisdictions
Edited by
Eve Hepburn and Godfrey Baldacchino
First published 2013
by Routledge
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Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
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2013 Taylor & Francis
This book is a reproduction of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, vol. 50, issue 4. The Publisher requests to those authors who may be citing this book to state, also, the bibliographical details of the special issue on which the book was based.
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ISBN13: 978-0-415-50585-7
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by Taylor & Francis Books
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The publisher would like to make readers aware that the chapters in this book may be referred to as articles as they are identical to the articles published in the special issue. The publisher accepts responsibility for any inconsistencies that may have arisen in the course of preparing this volume for print.
Contents
Godfrey Baldacchino and Eve Hepburn
Jerome L. McElroy and Courtney E. Parry
Peter Clegg
Stephen Levine
Nathalie Mrgudovic
Andr Fazi
Maria Ackrn and Bjarne Lindstrm
Britt Cartrite
Barry Bartmann
Godfrey Baldacchino and Eve Hepburn
The chapters in this book were originally published in Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012). When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:
Chapter 1
Introduction
Godfrey Baldacchino and Eve Hepburn
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 395-402
Chapter 2
The long-term propensity for political affiliation in island microstates
Jerome L. McElroy and Courtney E. Parry
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 403-421
Chapter 3
Independence movements in the Caribbean: withering on the vine?
Peter Clegg
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 422-438
Chapter 4
The experience of sovereignty in the Pacific: island states and political autonomy in the twenty-first century
Stephen Levine
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 439-455
Chapter 5
Evolving approaches to sovereignty in the French Pacific
Nathalie Mrgudovic
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 456-473
Chapter 6
The Western Mediterranean islands and the many faces of independentism
Andr Fazi
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 474-493
Chapter 7
Autonomy development, irredentism and secessionism in a Nordic context
Maria Ackrn and Bjarne Lindstrm
Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, volume 50, issue 4 (November 2012) pp. 494-511
Chapter 8
The impact of the Scottish independence referendum on ethnoregionalist movements in the British Isles
