What is it about?
In recent years, two cases, different in many respects but similar in others, serve as inspiring test cases for analyzing questions of national identities and state cohesion. The first is Catalonia’s attempt to convince the Spanish government to give its inhabitants the right to decide on possible secession. The second is Israel’s enactment of a Basic Law (which is similar to constitutional law) to determine Israel's national Jewish character, thus undermining the status of the Palestinian-Arabs, the substantial minority in the state. Both of these cases portray the dilemmas surrounding national identity in an allegedly dichotomic fashion: Should national minorities choose independence and secession to preserve their national identity, culture, and national rights, or should they pursue unionism and assimilation to protect other interests, such as economic or political stability. _x000D_ This article suggests that the dychotomic perspective is not compelling. Solidarity and autonomy are not necessarily contradictory. A state can preserve unity and inculcate feelings of solidarity among compatriots while still accounting for diversity if two preconditions are met.
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Why is it important?
In recent years, the concept of the multinational state has been facing some obstacles, clashes between the minority and majority population arose and in some cases, such as in Catalonia (Spain) there were attempts of secession, accompanied by mass violence and stringent reaction of the state authorities. Thus, it is important to revisit the idea of a multinational state and propose ways to secure both the group national sentiments and identity and the solidarity among the groups of the state, so to enable the peaceful living together of diverse groups in one state.
Perspectives
As an Israeli, who lives in a state with a substantial Arab minority, I am personally affected by the tensions that arise in a diverse state. Therefore, I found it crucial to think about solutions for the situation. While understanding that group identity is important for both the minority and the majority, I was looking for ways in which both of them can converge, so as to enable the living together of those two different groups, while promoting mutual respect for each other's culture and symbols.
Dr. Hilly Moodrick-Even Khen
Ariel University
The publication is very timely relevant due to the last political events and lack of stability in Israel and Spain. The Catalan/Spain and Israeli /Palestinian issues explained in the paper remain unsolved resulting in more political instability. In this sense, some of the potential solutions in the paper by the authors are now more relevant and necessary.
Antoni Abat
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Diversity, Autonomy and Solidarity in Multinational States: Current Developments in the Spanish-Catalan and the Jews-Arabs Political Disputes, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, January 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15718115-bja10030.
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