TY - JOUR
T1 - Democracy, Nationalism and (lack of) Sovereignty
T2 - the complex Dynamics of Democratisation in Unrecognised States
AU - Caspersen, Nina
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - Unrecognised states are among the least likely candidates for democratisation: they tend to be driven by ethno-nationalism, many are marked by the legacy of war and most are facing international isolation. Nevertheless, the claim to democracy has become a central part of their legitimising narrative. This article examines this apparent paradox and finds that neither ethno-nationalism nor non-recognition represents insurmountable barriers to democratisation. However, what we tend to find in these entities is a form of stagnated ‘ethnic democratisation’. These findings throw new light on the relationship between democracy and nationalism; they highlight the importance of (lack of) sovereignty; and they are used to evaluate Sammy Smooha's concept of ‘ethnic democracy’.
AB - Unrecognised states are among the least likely candidates for democratisation: they tend to be driven by ethno-nationalism, many are marked by the legacy of war and most are facing international isolation. Nevertheless, the claim to democracy has become a central part of their legitimising narrative. This article examines this apparent paradox and finds that neither ethno-nationalism nor non-recognition represents insurmountable barriers to democratisation. However, what we tend to find in these entities is a form of stagnated ‘ethnic democratisation’. These findings throw new light on the relationship between democracy and nationalism; they highlight the importance of (lack of) sovereignty; and they are used to evaluate Sammy Smooha's concept of ‘ethnic democracy’.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79953842345&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1469-8129.2010.00471.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1469-8129.2010.00471.x
M3 - Article
SN - 1469-8129
VL - 17
SP - 337
EP - 356
JO - Nations and Nationalism
JF - Nations and Nationalism
IS - 2
ER -