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5 - The Truth in Nationalism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 July 2009
Summary
The functional theory of secession runs counter to the dominant trends in the literature not only because it allows secession in the absence of injustice but also insofar as it focuses on the political capabilities rather than the cultural characteristics of the separatist party. This is striking because the majority of those receptive to political self-determination recommend redrawing political boundaries so as to better accommodate culturally defined nations. In this chapter, I argue that, although there is some truth in nationalism, any account of political self-determination that focuses principally on a group's status as a nation is misguided.
Thoroughgoing nationalists typically defend a threefold thesis: (1) There is nothing inappropriate about identifying with one's nation and conationals; (2) conationals have special obligations toward one another; and (3) each nation has a right to political self-determination. Although only the third prong of this tripartite thesis (the “nationalist principle”) is directly relevant to secession, I will briefly examine the first two nationalist claims as well, because the three theses are generally taken to be mutually supporting. Thus, after an introductory section in which I explain my use of the term “nation,” I divide this chapter into five main parts. First, I consider the appropriateness of identifying with one's nation and conationals. Next, I examine whether conationals have special obligations to one another. In the third section, I argue that a group's status as a nation can play at most a secondary role in establishing its right to secede.
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- A Theory of Secession , pp. 97 - 127Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005