Ryan Griffiths, associate professor of political science, has contributed to and co-edited “The Routledge Handbook of Self-Determination and Secession” (Routledge, 2023).

The book was co-edited by Aleksandar Pavković and Peter Radan. It investigates debates surrounding issues of self-determination and secession as well as the legal, political and normative implications they give rise to. It offers a broad survey of the sub-discipline, breaking into seven key parts—an introduction, self-determination, explaining and justifying secession, secession strategies, counter-secession strategies, international law and secession, and constitutional law and secession.

The book is comprised of 42 chapters penned by various contributors. Griffiths authored chapter 15, “Secession and the Strategic Playing Field,” which provides an outline of the strategic environment in which secessionist movements operate. It further investigates the important role of states and how different settings influence the ways in which secessionists seek to convince their home state and international communities to support their aims.

Griffiths’ research focuses on international relations and comparative politics. He received a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2010.

From the Publisher:

The Routledge Handbook of Self-Determination and Secession explores the various debates surrounding the issues of self-determination and secession, and the legal, political, and normative implications they give rise to.

Offering a broad survey of the state of the sub-discipline today, the chapters are divided into seven key parts: an Introduction, Self-Determination, Explaining and Justifying Secession, Secession Strategies, Counter-Secession Strategies, International Law and Secession, and Constitutional Law and Secession. The authors, from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, explore all the recent approaches to secession and self-determination based on strategic interaction of major actors in a secession process.

This handbook will be of great interest to students and researchers from a variety of disciplines including politics and international relations, security studies, and law.