Political Liberalism and Plurinational Democracies

The current context of developed societies is characterised by a number of phenomena, the most significant of which are processes of economic globalisation, information technologies, increasing multiculturalism and the emergence of cases of national pluralism which require full political accommodation both within democracies and in the international sphere.
The book examines the current state of affairs concerning the political recognition and constitutional accommodation of national pluralism in liberal democracies in the global era of the 21st century. The aim of this volume is to reveal the normative, analytical and institutional shortcomings of liberal democracies in multinational contexts and to offer alternatives that theoretically refine and practically improve the recognition and political accommodation of national pluralism within the democratic polity. Through a series of analyses linked to the development of political liberalism in contemporary states the contributors analyse the direct impact on the way that democracies have treated, and continue to treat, national pluralism in modern-day societies.
Bringing together leading scholars in the field to explore the different debates and approaches to this important issue, this volume will interest researchers and students of nationalism, federalism and multiculturalism, as well as political actors and policy makers with a particular interest in the management of diversity in present-day liberal democracies.

Miquel Caminal i Badia is professor of Political Science at Universitat de Barcelona. He received the PhD Prize (1984). Among his publications are: El federalismo pluralista. Del federalismo nacional al federalismo plurinacional. Paidós, Barcelona, 2002. Nacionalisme i partits nacionals a Catalunya, Empúries, Barcelona, 1998. "El pujolisme i la ideologia nacionalista de CDC" a J.B. Culla (ed), El Pal de paller. CDC (1974-2000), Pòrtic, 2001. "La llengua catalana i la reforma dels Estatuts". Revista de Llengua i Dret, núm 47, 2007. "Una lectura republicana i federal de l'autodeterminació" Revista d'Estudis Autonòmics i Federals, núm 5, 2007. "Dimensiones del nacionalismo" a Fernando Quesada (ed), Ciudad y ciudadanía, editorial Trotta, 2008. Ferran Requejo is Professor of Political Science at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). His main fields of research are theories of democracy, federalism, multinational democracies, political theory and political liberalism after World War II. In 1997 he was awarded the Rudolf Wildenmann Prize (ECPR); in 2002 he received the Ramon Trias Fargas Prize; and in 2006 the Spanish Political Science Association Prize for the best book (Routledge 2005). Moreover, he has been a member of the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Political Research (1997-2003). He has also been in charge of the PhD-programme on Political and Social Sciences at the Pompeu Fabra university (1993-2001). He has also been a member of the Spanish Electoral Board (Junta Electoral Central, 2004-2008) and a regular contributor to the newspaper "La Vanguardia" (Barcelona). Among his recent works are: Multinational Federalism and Value Pluralism (Routledge 2005), Democracy, Nationalism and Multiculturalism (Routledge 2005, edit with R. Maiz); Las democracias (Ariel 2008); Desigualtats en democràcia (Eumo 2009), Pluralisme i autogovern al món. Per unes democracies de qualitat (Eumo, 2005); Federalisme Plurinacional i Estat de les Autonomies (Proa, 2003); Democracy and National Pluralism (ed) (Routledge, 2001; Spanish version, Ariel 2002); "Federalism and the Quality of Democracy in Plurinational Contexts: Present Shortcomings and Possible Improvements", in U. Amoretti-N. Bermeo (eds), Federalism, Unitarianism and Territorial Cleavages, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004; "Federalism and National Groups", International Social Sciences Journal, 2001; "Political liberalism in multinational states: the legitimacy of plural and asymmetrical federalism" in A Gagnon-J.Tully (eds) Multinational Democracies, Cambridge University Press, 2001; "National Pluralism and Federalism. Four Political Scenarios for Spanish Plurinational Democracy", Perspectives on European Politics and Society, 2001; "Cultural Pluralism, Nationalism, and Federalism. A Revision of Democratic Citizenship in Plurinational States", European Journal for Political Research, 1999; European Citizenship, Multiculturalism and the State (Nomos,1998; edited with U. Preuss).

1. Introduction: Liberal Democracies, National Pluralism and Federalism Ferran Requejo and Miquel Caminal 2. Shadows of Enlightenment: Refining Pluralism in Liberal Democracies Ferran Requejo 3. Liberal Democracy and National Minorities Bhikhu Parekh 4. The Transformation of the Democratic State in Western Europe John Loughlin 5. Liberal Multiculturalism and Human Rights Will Kymlicka 6. On Postnational Identity Michel Seymour 7. Reframing Sovereignty? Sub-State National Societies and Contemporary Challenges to the Nation-State Stephen Tierney 8. Federalism and the Protection of Rights and Freedoms: Affinities and Antagonism José Woehrling 9. The Myth of Civic Patriotism: Nationalism and Republicanism in France Ramón Máiz 10. From Quid Pro Quo to Modus Vivendi: Can Legalizing Secession Strengthen the Multinational Federation? Wayne Norman 11. Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in the Global Age Montserrat Guibernau 12. Democracy, Federalism and Plurinational States Miquel Caminal