Synopses & Reviews
Multinational Democracies is the first collaborative, multi-perspective critical survey of a new and distinctive type of political association that is coming into prominence in the twenty-first century. These are democratic societies that are not only multicultural but also multinational: that is, they comprise two or more nations. Nineteen leading comparative political scientists and political theorists from Europe and North America clarify the complex character and tensions of multinational democracies by reflecting on four exemplars--the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium and Canada. The work offers a new approach to the study, understanding and governing of multinational societies and, in so doing, of culturally diverse societies more generally. This volume will be of interest to those concerned with diverse societies, nationalism, struggles for recognition, federalism and democratic constitutionalism in conditions of pluralism.
Review
"It should be read not only by Canadians of both persuasions but by anyone interested in the politics of nationalism." American Political Science Review
Synopsis
Over the last century the dominant form of political organisation has been the single nation-state. This form of democracy is giving way to more complex societies; ones which are multicultural and multinational in composition. This volume by fifteen leading political scientists and political theorists is the first collaborative study of existing multinational democracies and the difficulties involved in governing them. The book concentrates on European and North American democracies and will be of interest to those concerned about the increasing plurality and cultural complexity of modern societies.
Synopsis
Political scientists provide a collaborative study of multinational democracies and the difficulties in governing them.
Table of Contents
Multinational Democracies: Introduction; Part I. Justice and Stability in Multinational Democracies: 1. So many nations, so few states: the civic and the fear of minorisation Michael Keating; 2. Political stability in multinational societies: the civic state and the fear of minorisation Dominique Arel; 3. Justice and stability in multinational societies Wayne Norman; 4. Political liberalism in multinational states: the legitimacy of plural and asymmetrical federalism Ferran Requejo; Part II. Struggles over Recognition and Institutions of Accommodation: 5. Federalism, federation and collective identities in Canada and Belgium: different routes, similar fragmentation Dimitrios Karmis, Alain-G. Gagnon; 6. Recognition claims, partisan politics, and institutional constraints: Belgium, Spain and Canada in a comparative perspective François Rocher, Christian Rouillard and AndréLecours; 7. Ethnoterritorial concurrence in multinational societies: the Spanish Comunidades Autónomas Luis Moreno; 8. Mutual recognition and the accommodation of national diversity: constitutional justice in Northern Ireland Shane O'Neill; 9. Federalist language regimes in multinational societies: the cases of Canada and Spain Pierre Coulombe; 10. Competing national visions: Canada-Quebec relations in a comparative perspective Michael Burgess; Part III. Modes of Reconciliation and Conflict Management: 11. Liberal citizenship in multinational societies Alan Patten; 12. Nationality in divided societies David Miller; 13. The moral foundation of asymmetrical federalism: a normative exploration of the case of Quebec and Canada Alain-G. Gagnon; 14. Federalism and the management of conflict in multinational societies Richard Simeon and Daniel-Patrick Conway.