The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations

Guy Laforest, André Lecours

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9780773599390
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

At a time when nationalist movements are forcefully looking for new forms of political, institutional, and constitutional accommodation - if not seeking independence altogether - insight into their dynamics is more useful than ever. In The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations, Guy Laforest and André Lecours assemble an original perspective on minority nations in Belgium, Canada, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Analyzing how parliaments in Flanders, Quebec, Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have worked to build, consolidate, and express their identities, manage and protect the cultural distinctiveness of their communities, as well as articulate self-determination claims, contributors provide insights into these nations’ democracies and traditions. Essays also focus on the central parliaments of multinational states, and on the methods used by these parliaments to promote their own national identities and respond to minority nations’ claims for recognition, autonomy, or even independence.

An illuminating look at the internal forces of Western governments, The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations also offers a broad view of vital concerns such as nationalist struggles, federalism, and parliamentarism.

Table of contents

• The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Figures and Tables
• Abbreviations for Names of Political Parties
• Parliament Websites
• The Parliaments of Autonomous Nations: An Introduction
• 1. The Catalan Parliament’s Contribution to the Consolidation and Development of Self-Government and the Defence of Catalonia’s National Identity
• 2. The Parliament of the Basque Country and the National Issue: The Weaknesses of a Strong Identity
• 3. The Parliament of Galicia
• 4. The Flemish Parliament and Its Role in a Bipolar Federal System
• 5. The Parliament of Quebec: The Quest for Self-Government, Autonomy, and Self-Determination
• 6. The Scottish Parliament
• 7. The Assembly of Northern Ireland: Hope and Constraint
• 8. The Parliament of Canada
• 9. The Westminster Parliament and Territorial Politics in the United Kingdom
• 10. The Spanish Parliament: Its Role in the Definition of the National Community and the Politics of National Unity
• Conclusion
• Contributors
• Index