Spatial and historical determinants of separatism and integration. 1. Qualitative analysis

Abstract

Separatism is examined in a long-run perspective. Accordingly, many political or economic factors which may be crucial in dealing with short-term episodes can be safely disregarded. Extending an approach pioneered by J. Jenkins, the paper assesses the role of spatial and historical factors. It shows that the means used to stage a separatist struggle are to a notable extent borrowed from former historical episodes, an analysis which supports and illustrates Charles Tilly's thesis of restricted repertoires of action. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce the model, to make it plausible and to demonstrate its potential usefulness by examining a number of critical examples. A more systematic analysis is carried out in a follow-up paper by using a data set that includes about 40 cases of separatist struggles.