Territoriality, Asymmetry, and Autonomy : Catalonia, Corsica, Hong Kong, and Tibet

Minority special status arrangements figure prominently in efforts to articulate universality with territorialized difference in many parts of the world. Yet much of what has been written about this important modality of the asymmetrical state has focused exclusively on the liberal democratic West. This book extends the analysis. It offers a structured-focused comparison of the experience of the People s Republic of China, France, and Spain. Case studies on central Tibet, Hong Kong, Corsica, and Catalonia are used to identify the conditions that affect the degree to which special status arrangements enhance stability while improving the citizenship of both minority territorial communities and their more vulnerable residents. Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-4 Territoriality, Asymmetry, and Autonomy: Key Concepts, Historical and Contemporary Perspectives....Pages 5-29 The Origins, Nature, Political Dynamics, and Outcomes of Special Status Arrangements....Pages 31-48 Catalonia as an Autonomous Community....Pages 49-87 Corsica after the 1982/1983 Special Statute....Pages 89-123 Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region....Pages 125-162 Central Tibet from the Sino-Tibetan Seventeen-Point Agreement to the Tibet Autonomous Region....Pages 163-202 Conclusions....Pages 203-229 Back Matter....Pages 231-277