The Quest for Self-Determination - Hardcover

by Dov Ronen (Author)

Dov Ronen proposes in this interpretive essay that ethnic nationalism is simply the newest form of a basic human drive for self-determination that has been manifested in four other movements since the French Revolution: nineteenth-century nationalism, Marxist-Leninist class self-determination, self-determination for minorities as espoused by Wilson, and decolonization. Ronen's intention in this book is to explain what self-determination is, why people fight for it, and what the implications of the struggle may be. Though Ronen's approach is primarily analytical and philosophical, he uses four cases (the Scots, Biafra, the Palestinians, and South Africa) to illustrate the application of his thesis to current events.

Back Jacket

Dov Ronen's thesis in this book is that this fundamental human aspiration, this basic drive, the quest for self-determination, which has appeared locally many times in history, has taken root and spread since the French Revolution to other parts of the world, has been formulated at times in apparently conflicting sets of ideas, has appeared in correspondingly different movements, and has been embodied recently in various documents as a legal right.