Territorial Pluralism: Managing Difference in Multinational States

Karlo Basta · John McGarry · Richard Simeon

Jan 2015 · UBC Press

About this ebook

Territorial pluralism is a form of political autonomy designed to accommodate national, ethnic, or linguistic differences within a state. It has the potential to provide for the peaceful, democratic, and just management of difference. But given traditional concerns about state sovereignty, nation-building, and unity, how realistic is it to expect that a state’s authorities will agree to recognize and empower distinct substate communities?

Territorial Pluralism answers this question by examining a wide variety of cases, including developing and industrialized states and democratic and authoritarian regimes. Drawing on examples of both success and failure, contributors analyze specific cases to understand the kinds of institutions that emerge in response to demands for territorial pluralism, as well as their political effects. With identity conflicts continuing to have a major impact on politics around the globe, they argue that territorial pluralism remains a legitimate and effective means for managing difference in multinational states.

About the author

Karlo Basta is an assistant professor of political science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. John McGarry is Canada Research Chair in Nationalism and Democracy in the Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. Richard Simeon was a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Other contributors: Mira Bachvarova, Bruce J. Berman, César Colino, John Boye Ejobowah, Angustias Hombrado, Michael Keating, Peter Kraus, André Laliberté, Margaret Moore, Brendan O’Leary, Wilfried Swenden