Separatism
Also called: Secessionism · Topic: Nationalism and National Self-determination · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Nationalism"
Meaning
Separatism, also called secessionism, is a demand by a group or region to break away from an existing state and form its own independent state. It grew strongly from the 1960s, even inside stable democracies. It matters because it sets a group's right to self-determination against the state's territorial integrity, meaning its right to stay whole. Scholars separate internal self-determination (self-rule and rights within a state) from external self-determination (secession, or breaking away).
Example
Global examples are the Quebecois in Canada, the Basques in Spain, the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, and the Tamils in Sri Lanka. In India, the DMK's secession demand led to the 16th Amendment (1963). It allowed limits on Art. 19 freedoms in the interest of "sovereignty and integrity" and added these words to constitutional oaths.
Don't confuse with
- Sub-nationalism: sub-nationalism is a strong regional, language or ethnic identity that usually seeks autonomy within the country. Separatism seeks to leave the country altogether.