(joint RC28/RC14 panel)

Chair: Dr Ramon Maiz

Discussants: Dr Dov Ronen

The focus of the panel will be on the significance of territory to the politics of ethnic and national diversity management. This subject has several aspects. Of particular importance is the study of the construction of state institutions and polices to address ethnic and national differences. This includes examination of the political accommodation of ethnic identities through arrangements such as federalism and the granting of autonomy to particular regions or territories within multinational or multiethnic states. These arrangements clearly represents a different approach from seeking to accommodate ethnic differences through power sharing or other devices at the centre, though there are cases that combine these different approaches. A question territorial arrangements commonly raise is the position of minorities within the boundaries of such regions or constituent units. Another question raised by these arrangements is whether or not they facilitate secession by creating units able to put forward a territorially based claim to self-determination or, alternatively, they contribute to the stability and durability of the states concerned. Another distinct dimension of the topic is the importance of the local to ethnic mobilisation and how ethnic issues are addressed not only at the national or even regional level but also within cities and towns by local government, which is often the level at which organisations seeking to represent ethnic communities operate.

Session:  Politics and Ethnicity Comparative Federalism and Federation

Language: English