The Case for Multinational Federalism: Beyond the All-encompassing Nation

by Gagnon; Alain-g.

• ISBN13: 9780415546485
• ISBN10: 0415546486
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-24
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Throughout the world, liberal-democracies are grappling with increasing claims made in the name of minority national, socio-cultural and ethno-cultural identities that seek greater recognition in the institutions of the nation-state. This work inserts itself into debates centred on diversity through a normative and empirical analytical assessment of the political sociology of multinational democracies. The main thread of the arguments put forward is that federalism, in both its institutional manifestations and its sociological properties, constitutes a promising avenue for the management of cohabitating political communities and for the affirmation of collective identities within states that are constituted by two or more nations. Author Alain-G Gagnon develops his argument by contending that the federal principle allows for the exercise of advanced democratic practices within nation-states, permitting internal nations to openly affirm the bases of adherence to a common political project. At the same time, he argues that federalism nourishes the development of distinct collective traditions that serve to benefit all parties to the association. It is concluded that only in such a scenario will the elusive pursuit of an authentic and shared loyalty underpin multination states and ensure their stability, in contrast to the instrumental sentiments of belonging engendered by procedural territorial federal models. Focusing primarily on the Canadian case, this book also draws inspiration from other federal states (Belgium, the United States), as well as federalizing states (Spain, the United Kingdom). It will be of keen interest to students and scholars of Politics, European Studies, along with Nationalism and Federalism Studies.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xii
Note on the author	p. xiii
Introduction: the merits of federalism and new awareness of the multination	p. 1
Federalism and federation	p. 3
Territorial and multinational federalism	p. 5
The federal condition in Canada and Spain	p. 6
Overview of the chapters	p. 9
Memory and national identity in Catalonia and Québec	p. 11
Memory and national construction	p. 13
Defining events: Catalonia's journey	p. 15
Defining events: Québec's journey	p. 19
Affirmation of national cultures	p. 23
The constellation of belongings	p. 25
The normative foundations of asymmetrical federalism: the Canadian situation from a comparative perspective	p. 31
Clarification of concepts	p. 34
The communitarian principle	p. 38
The egalitarian principle	p. 41
The democratic principle	p. 45
The emerging phenomenon of the multination	p. 52
Dualism and pluralism	p. 53
From deep diversity to the multination	p. 57
Trudeau versus Taylor	p. 60
The painful birth of a new Canadian school of diversity	p. 63
Executive federalism and the exercise of democracy in Canada	p. 67
Conceptual considerations and historical developments	p. 68
The principal challenges facing executive federalism	p. 73
When majority nationalism trumps executive federalism	p. 81
The effects of majority nationalism in Canada	p. 88
Theoretical considerations	p. 89
Three government initiatives	p. 92
A case for a multidimensional approach	p. 101
Resistance and potential: the duty to consider the multination	p. 106
John Rawls' cooperative scheme in perpetuity	p. 107
Daniel Elazar's self-rule and shared rule	p. 111
Ernest Renan's daily plebiscite	p. 115
Creative politics; healthy tensions and unresolved issues	p. 117
Conclusion	p. 120
Notes	p. 124
Bibliography	p. 139
Index	p. 155
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