The Specter of Separatism: Political Fragmentation in the European Union

The ongoing process of Europeanization within the E.U. has stirred reactions within several countries aimed at reversing the devolution of powers to "Brussels". Even in core member states of the E.U., euro-scepticism is growing. In several countries, the current Euro-crisis has invigorated protectionist and nationalist discourses. Thus "more Europe" seems to strengthen particularism and nationalism at the level of member states. But also within these nations, "Europe" seems to have paradoxical effects on internal cohesion. On the one hand, increased European unification has not diminished the appeal of sub-state regionalist, nationalist, and separatist movements. On the other, these movements have taken the gradual devolution of powers to a higher European level as an argument that the nation state they are challenging has become obsolete. To name but some: Scottish, Flemish, Catalan, and Basque nationalists are fervently pro-European. What will the future have in store for them? What will happen if euro-scepticism keeps growing and their hopes for a pan-European counterbalance to the power of nation states evaporate? Will these movements opt for the path of open secession? The upcoming referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 will be an important test case.

This colloquium brings together a number of specialists on regionalism and nationalism in Europe to discuss the tension between unification and fragmentation in the context of the European Union. It caters to an audience interested in current European political and cultural affairs.

Organizing Committee: Jeroen Dewulf - University of California, Berkeley Maarten van Ginderachter – University of Antwerp, Belgium

9.30am: Official opening of the colloquium by Jeroen Dewulf and Jeff Pennington (Co-director of the E.U. Center of Excellence at UC Berkeley).

Introduction to Regionalism and Nationalism in the European Union

10am-10.45am: Maarten van Ginderachter (University of Antwerp, Belgium). Regionalism and Nationalism in Europe in an Era of Globalization

Regionalism and Nationalism in Eastern Europe

10.45am-11.30am: Zsuzsa Csergő (Queen’s University, Canada). The Politics of Regionalization and the Fragility of Democracy in Post-communist Europe: Lessons from the Romanian Case

11.30-12.15pm: John Connelly (University of California, Berkeley). Velvet Divorce: How Democratic Czechoslovakia Ignored Popular Sentiment and Self-destructed

12.15-1.45pm: lunch break.

Regionalism and Nationalism in Western Europe

2-2.45pm: Jeroen Dewulf (University of California, Berkeley). The Flemish Movement: On the Intersection of Language and Nationalism in the Dutch-Speaking Part of Belgium

2.45-3.30pm: Xosé-Manoel Núñez (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain). Substate Nationalisms and Neo-Regionalisms within a Federalizing Democracy: the Case of Spain

3.30-3.45pm: Coffee break.

3.45-4.30pm: Andrew Hughes Hallett (George Mason University, Arlington VA; and University of St Andrews, Scotland). The Practicalities of Fiscal Autonomy in Regional Government: Fiscal Federalism, Devolution and Independence in Scotland

Regionalism and Nationalism in the E.U. Overseas Countries and Territories

4.30-5.15pm: Eric Mijts (University of Aruba). Multilayered Nationalism in the Dutch Caribbean: Conflicting Loyalties

5.15-5.30pm: Concluding remarks by the colloquium organizers.

Contact:

Jeroen Dewulf (jdewulf..a..berkeley.edu)
Department of German
University of California, Berkeley