Module Information

This module provides an in-depth and critical examination of the rise and implications of the territorialisation of politics in Western Europe. The module will look in detail at the processes of state-building and nation-building that led to formation of culturally and (often) linguistically distinct regions and nations within the territories of many sovereign states, and will examine the different institutional and political responses adopted by states in response to territorial mobilisation. Individual sessions will be dedicated to examining and understanding the drivers and implications of processes of territorial reform in different European contexts. We will also consider the role of political parties - state-wide parties and stateless nationalist and regionalist parties - in pushing for territorial reform, and the implications for these actors when state territorialisation has been implemented. These discussions will provide students with insights into on-going research projects at the cutting-edge of academic research into the territorialisation of politics in Western Europe. The module also encourages students to think about how to undertake comparative political analysis successfully, and there is an emphasis throughout on critical analysis of different theoretical and methodological perspectives on territorial politics.