“The maintenance of colonial borders after independence, discriminatory policies and lack of autonomy, are all factors that threaten minorities. Minorities’ cultures, traditions, religions, and...Show more“The maintenance of colonial borders after independence, discriminatory policies and lack of autonomy, are all factors that threaten minorities. Minorities’ cultures, traditions, religions, and languages are endangered within a state where the majority imposes cultural hegemony and implements domestic policies meant to oppress a minority. When its identity is threatened, a minority starts seeking self-determination. The sovereign state can recognize the issue and grant autonomy to the region that seeks for it, through federalism, or it can deny it, increasing the conflict. As a consequence, the last resort for the minority is secession. One example is the case of Zanzibar, the archipelago part of Tanzania. For years Zanzibari have been treated as a minority and as a consequence formed the secessionist movement Uamsho.”Show less
The EU may be facing a perfect storm as a result of recent crises, mounting Euroscepticism and rising nationalist sentiments, with the latter also playing a role in recent events in Catalonia and...Show moreThe EU may be facing a perfect storm as a result of recent crises, mounting Euroscepticism and rising nationalist sentiments, with the latter also playing a role in recent events in Catalonia and Scotland as well as in the Brexit referendum. This new political context provides an excellent opportunity to reassess the stance of the EU with regard to secessionist conflicts. This thesis uses this opportunity to build on the work of Bourne (2014) by analysing whether the political discourses of regionalist parties and EU representatives, on secession within the EU framework, changed between 2014 and 2017 – in the case of Catalonia, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The analysis shows that the only discourses that changed significantly over time were those of Sinn Féin in the Northern Irish case and of EU representatives with regard to Scotland. Besides change over time, it found change between cases; the discourse of EU representatives in the Northern Irish case represents a departure from the Prodi/Barroso Doctrine that was prominent in the Catalan and Scottish case. The findings also suggest that the EU’s unwillingness to be involved in secessionist conflicts as well as the dismissal of post-secession EU membership has not necessarily discouraged regionalist parties from using the EU to underline the civic nature of minority nationalism; the parties under analysis continued to seek legitimacy for their cause at the European level through strong normative language, while professing adherence to the EU (values) and the democratic will of the people. Finally, the thesis shows that the EU may have started to adopt a more active stance in secessionist debates – undeniably so in the case of Northern Ireland.Show less
This thesis analyses separatist movements within EU member states. The cases of Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders are thoroughly analysed and compared to establish a pattern of separatism within the...Show moreThis thesis analyses separatist movements within EU member states. The cases of Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders are thoroughly analysed and compared to establish a pattern of separatism within the EU. The pattern that is established recognizes imagined communities and 'rationalized' arguments as the cornerstones of European separatism. Moreover, this thesis considers the seemingly contradictory pro-European attitude that is clearly present within these separatist movements.Show less
Deze scriptie beschouwt het recht op zelfdeterminatie vanuit de politieke theorie. Eerst worden de verschillen tussen de huidige theorieën over dit thema uiteengezet, waarna er een alternatieve...Show moreDeze scriptie beschouwt het recht op zelfdeterminatie vanuit de politieke theorie. Eerst worden de verschillen tussen de huidige theorieën over dit thema uiteengezet, waarna er een alternatieve theorie wordt gepresenteerd. Hierbij wordt het recht op zelfdeterminatie voor volkeren gekoppeld aan de theorieën van John Locke.Show less
