The Theory of Self-Determination

Description

When can a group legitimately form its own state? Under international law, some groups can but others cannot. But the standard is unclear, and traditional legal analysis has failed to elucidate it. In The Theory of Self-Determination, leading scholars chart new territory in our theoretical conception of self-determination. Drawing from diverse scholarship in international law, philosophy, and political science, they attempt to move beyond the prevailing nationalist conceptions of group definition. At issue are such universal questions as: when does a group qualify as a 'people'? Does history matter? Or is it a question of ethnic status? Are these matters properly solved by popular vote? Anchored in modern analytical political philosophy but with implications for a wide range of scholarship, this volume will prove essential for scholars and practitioners of international law, global justice, and international relations.

Fernando R. Teson is the Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar and a Professor of Law at the Florida State University College of Law. A renowned scholar of political philosophy and international law, he is the author of Justice at a Distance: Extending Global Freedom (with Loren Lomasky, Cambridge, 2015) and Humanitarian Intervention: An Inquiry into Law and Morality, 3rd edition (2005), among many others. A native of Argentina, he is a founding member of the blog Bleeding Heart Libertarians (bleedingheartlibertarians.com).

'This volume is a welcome contribution to the debate about self-determination that will be of interest to many readers, especially political theorists working on nationalism, global justice, and state authority, as well as international lawyers interested in secession. By placing philosophers and lawyers in dialogue, it enhances our understanding of the normative issues surrounding this topic, and it achieves a distinctively interdisciplinary tone.' Anna Stilz, Ethics & International Affairs