Region, Regional Identity and Regionalism in Southeastern Europe


Book Description

Southeastern Europe is often portrayed as an area plagued by endemic nationalisms, a view that seems to be confirmed by the break-up of Yugoslavia. However, a closer look shows that the nation is not the only territorial unit of identification. Regions play an important role as well, especially those that look back on traditions that differ from those of the national state. Thus, the end of socialism also brought forward regional movements which articulated opposition to the dominance of the centralized state. These developments are furthered by the integration into the European Union, whose policy of a "Europe of the Regions" demands strong regional centres for the administration of structural funds and for the empowerment of the regions. The contributions to this volume address the dynamics of regions, regionalism and regional identities in present Southeast Europe, but also look into the history of individual regions. They provide ample material for understanding the complex nature of territorial identification in this rapidly changing part of Europe.







Multiethnic Regionalisms in Southeastern Europe


Book Description

This book is based on a comparative study of regionalisms in Croatia’s regions of Dalmatia and Istria as well as Serbia’s Vojvodina. The monograph’s main focus is on regionalist political party strategies since 1990, and within that, each case study considers history and historiography, inter-group relations, economics, and region-building. The analysis demonstrates that many of the common assumptions about the causal determinants of territorial autonomy projects and outcomes, as well as about a teleological and unidirectional path from regionalism to nationalism, do not stand up to scrutiny. The author introduces original concepts such as plurinational, multinational and sectional regionalism to theories of nationalism and territorial politics. This book will appeal to scholars and upper-level students interested in territorial politics, federalism, nationalism and comparative politics.




Regional States in Southeast Europe Between Euroregionalism and Ethnoregionalism


Book Description

Regional policy of European Union promoted a long time ago uniformly regional development as one of its own integration priority, and each phase in integration process of individual states monitoring appropriately growing distribution of the financial assets, which helps them to accomplish those developing goals. However, in regional Europe are also present disintegrations, which are solving by upgrading already accomplished self-determination of few regions by cultural, political and economical model of government. Therefore, pro-European regionalism architects primary present the citizen as active social subject. In Southeast Europe, with big political and economical diversity, and territorial dispersion of nations, the discussion about different aspects of regionalism are becoming more and more significance. This area is characteristic by cultural diversity, disbelief, political barriers, stereotype, which are crowded by centuries. The escalation of the abduct ethno-nationalistic polities, at the end of the last century, lead here to the wars and "ethnic cleaning". All that, complicate the realization of the euro-regional concept, and also threat further fragmentation of this area and don't conduce to developing mutual identity of this region. Regionalization and balanced regional development are here main criterion for incorporation in European economical structure, but also for democratization and society development. The object of this research is to examine the possibilities of regionalization and balanced regional development of geo-area Southeast Europe, in context existing euro regional standards. To this end, it is necessary, throw complexly analysis of EU experiences in this area, which can be also useful, instructive and applicative, determined for rational solutions in this countries. It could be a contribution for affirmation of regional development in this part Europe, which is serious and inevitable duty (mission) that follows.




Regionalism without Regions


Book Description

This collective volume shows how Ukraine can best be understood through its regions and how the regions must be considered against the background of the nation. The overarching objective of the book is to challenge the dominance of the nation-state paradigm in the analyses of Ukraine by illustrating the interrelationship between national and regional dynamics of change. The authors—historians, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, literary critics and linguists from Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland, Germany and the USA—explicitly go beyond the perspective of an entity defined by traditional political borders and cultural, economic, historical or religious stereotypes. The research project that led to the composition of the book combined quantitative (statistical surveys conducted across Ukraine) and qualitative (in-depth interviews and focus-group discussion) methods. The authors came to the conclusion that regionalism as a defining phenomenon of Ukraine is more prominent than the regions themselves. This approach regards Ukraine as a construct in flux where different discourses intersect, concur and eventually merge through the lenses of various disciplines and methodologies.




Region, State, and Identity in Central and Eastern Europe


Book Description

Post-communist state transformations in Central and Eastern Europe have been accompanied by an upsurge of identity politics as newly-independent peoples sought to redefine themselves and their place in Europe. National unity has proved elusive in practice as new democracies have debated constitutional and territorial-administrative changes to prepare for the challenges of "returning to Europe" while at the same time integrating diverse historical regions and ethnic minorities. The case of regional reform and resurgent regional politics presented in this volume highlight the divergent concepts of statehood which have emerged as Central and East Europeans struggle to come to terms with the meaning of their statehood today. Competing models have been advocated in terms of their perceived conformity with national or local traditions and wider trends in modern European governance, but local interests and identities have challenged this emphasis on the imperatives of sovereignty, territorial unity and administrative efficiency. The contributors investigate these pressing issues as new and tougher controls are enforced at the EU's emerging external borders, posing fresh challenges to national, regional and minority identities.




The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism - the first of its kind - offers a systematic and wide-ranging survey of the scholarship on regionalism, regionalization, and regional governance. Unpacking the major debates, leading authors of the field synthesize the state of the art, provide a guide to the comparative study of regionalism, and identify future avenues of research. Twenty-seven chapters review the theoretical and empirical scholarship with regard to the emergence of regionalism, the institutional design of regional organizations and issue-specific governance, as well as the effects of regionalism and its relationship with processes of regionalization. The authors explore theories of cooperation, integration, and diffusion explaining the rise and the different forms of regionalism. The handbook also discusses the state of the art on the world regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Eurasia, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Various chapters survey the literature on regional governance in major issue areas such as security and peace, trade and finance, environment, migration, social and gender policies, as well as democracy and human rights. Finally, the handbook engages in cross-regional comparisons with regard to institutional design, dispute settlement, identities and communities, legitimacy and democracy, as well as inter- and transregionalism.







The Politics of Regional Identity


Book Description

Focusing on the politics of representation and constructions of identity, the author analyses the impact of European regionalism on the Mediterranean.




Regionalism and Modern Europe


Book Description

Providing a valuable overview of regionalism throughout the entire continent, Regionalism in Modern Europe combines both geographical and thematic approaches to examine the origins and development of regional movements and identities in Europe from 1890 to the present. A wide range of internationally renowned scholars from the USA, the UK and mainland Europe are brought together here in one volume to examine the historical roots of the current regional movements, and to explain why some of them - Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders, among others – evolve into nationalist movements and even strive for independence, while others – Brittany, Bavaria – do not. They look at how regional identities - through regional folklore, language, crafts, dishes, beverages and tourist attractions - were constructed during the 20th century and explore the relationship between national and subnational identities, as well as regional and local identities. The book also includes 7 images, 7 maps and useful end-of-chapter further reading lists. This is a crucial text for anyone keen to know more about the history of the topical – and at times controversial – subject of regionalism in modern Europe.