Chapter One Major Secessionist Movements in Europe
Chapter Two Methodology
Chapter Three Vlaams Belang in Flanders
Chapter FourNieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie in Flanders
Chapter Five Scottish National Party in Scotland
Chapter Six Convergència I Unió in Catalonia
Chapter Seven Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya in Catalonia
Chapter Eight European Union
Chapter Nine Conclusions and Why Flanders, Scotland, and Catalonia
are not Independent
Glen M.E. Duerr is assistant professor of international studies at Cedarville University.
Duerr traces the proper contours of a complex and multifaceted
picture, allowing the reader to never lose their orientation in an
authentic labyrinth of interviews, percentages and statistical
data. In addition, thanks to an excellent use of transcripts of
conversations with the principal leaders of the various
secessionist parties, the author also manages to highlight the
instruments of political struggle adopted by the various movements
and how they intend to pursue their goals.... In a time of deep
economic and social crisis, in a European context increasingly
marked by mistrust and anti-systemic orientations characterised by
the strong idea of leaving the Community path, the work of Duerr is
a real beacon in the darkness. The author, in fact, not only
provides an interesting point of view in one of the most
controversial discussions in recent political science debates, also
drawing a parallel history of the most important secessionist
parties in Western Europe, but in doing so he provides his readers
one of the most important contributions to the nationalism studies
that have been published over the last twenty years. The success of
Duerr also lies in having immediately decided to abandon the
magniloquent and often intricate tones typical of some European
political science literature, in favour of a flexible choice of
language, easily understandable by the common reader, unaccustomed
to international politics treaties or comparative political science
essays...[T]he formula adopted by Duerr has been successful: easy
language, a solid comparative approach (enriched, as already
mentioned, by interesting interviews), a good amount of data in
support of his arguments and a wide knowledge of the secessionist
subject.... Secessionism and the European Union: The Future of
Flanders, Scotland, and Catalonia remains an important and timely
book, which deserves a wide readership. It will surely be of
interest not only to scholars of political science but also to
general readers with an interest in European contemporary history
and politics.
*Nations and Nationalism*
Secessionism and the European Union is a significant contribution
to the literature on the evolving agendas of sub-state European
parties, particularly those that have come to adopt the objective
of independence.... The book is highly accessible, divided as it is
into many short sections.
*European Political Science*
The old countries of Europe, once thought to be settled, are in
danger of breaking apart—a development which would completely
scramble the geopolitical calculus of this region and of the world.
Dr. Glen Duerr does a masterful job in explaining the roots and
reasons behind three of the most successful secessionist movements:
Scotland, Flanders and Catalonia. In clear, accessible language,
Duerr looks at the changing nature of national identities in these
regions as they steer a transition from a narrowly based ethnic
nationalism to a more inclusive civic nationalism. We have long
needed a book like this. It will be invaluable for anybody
interested in nationalism, international relations, and European
studies.
*David Kaplan, Kent State University*
In this timely book, Glen Duerr provides a thoughtful discussion of
a crucial actor in the contemporary politics of secessionism in
Western Europe: the secessionist party. Informed by several
interviews with party representatives and officials, Duerr's study
is an important contribution to the literature on nationalism.
*André Lecours, University of Ottawa*
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