Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

A distinctive
feature of social and
cultural life at CMC

 

Rethinking Territorial Autonomy

Thu, February 13, 2020
Lunch Program
Shane Barter

Shane Barter, professor at Soka University of America and author of several studies related to secessionist conflicts, examines the complex, underappreciated politics of territorial autonomy. Territorial autonomy provides special powers to subnational governments representing minorities. Found in several political hotspots—Hong Kong, Tibet, Scotland, Catalonia, Quebec, Papua, Kashmir—it represents compromise between incorporation and independence. However, autonomous regions tend to be centralized and oppress local ethnic minorities, suggesting a need to rethink territorial autonomy.

Shane Barter is associate professor at Soka University of America.  Earning his PhD from the University of British Columbia, he has worked for Forum-Asia, the Carter Center, European Union, and Canadian Government, the latter including observing the Summer 2019 Ukrainian elections.  Dr. Barter's research focuses on Southeast Asian politics, namely armed conflicts in Indonesia.  He has authored books on civil strategies in civil war, the Pacific Basin, and internal migration, as well as published articles related to separatism, post-conflict elections, civilians in war, and more.  He has just completed a visiting scholar position at Australian National University, part of a research project on territorial autonomy.

Professor Barter's Athenaeum presentation is co-sponsored by CIRS, the Claremont International Relations Society.

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Claremont McKenna College
385 E. Eighth Street
Claremont, CA 91711

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