STAIR: St Antony's International Review



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Call for Papers
Sovereignty and Secessionist Movements: Prospects and Challenges

Abstracts due September 1, 2009
Papers due November 1, 2009

Click here to view a pdf version of this Call for Papers

Recent events in Kosova, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia have drawn the attention of the international community to secessionist movements, refocusing interest on cases such as Tibet and Somaliland. The increased activity of secessionist movements has revitalized intellectual debate over the changing meaning of sovereignty, self-determination, state-building, recognition, and security concerns. As the international political community strives to come to terms with these issues, the academic community is faced with the challenge of identifying the possible implications of these developments.

St Antony’s International Review (STAIR) invites academics, policymakers, and practitioners to engage in an inter-disciplinary discussion of this theme. We seek to publish empirical, theoretical, and policy-oriented articles, and case studies that cover a variety of issue areas including secession, self-determination, and recognition.

Articles could consider, but are not limited to, the following questions:

What criteria have been used to justify secession?
How do secession movements challenge our understanding of state sovereignty and self-determination?
What role does the international community play in recognizing secession entities?
What are the legal and political implications of recognizing secessionist movements?
Can the international community defuse secessionist claims by ensuring the fair treatment of minorities and by encouraging participation in transnational organizations?
What is the economic feasibility of secessionist entities?
Are there common patterns involving secessionist movements in different geopolitical areas?
What does the future hold for secessionist movements?

STAIR welcomes abstracts and idea proposals up to 500 words in length. Upon completion, main articles should not exceed 6000 words. In conjunction with this general call for papers, STAIR also seeks to publish book reviews of works that adhere to the advertised theme of the issue. Click here for further details.

Please send submissions to: stairsecession@googlemail.com.