CONTESTED SECESSIONS

This book approaches contested secession and the more Western concept of consensual secession from a political theory perspective. In particular it focuses on the Kashmir issue as a form of contested secession and examines whether the Kashmiri people have a ''right'' to secede. Chandhoke''s analysis draws from several disciplinary perspectives to focus on secession-both consensual and contested-and its legitimacy. This is an area hitherto ignored by Western liberal theories of secession. She discusses at length the specificities of cases of ''contested secessions'' as opposed to the Western theory of ''consensual secessions''. The objective is to develop normative principles which can help map and sort out vexatious issues in contested secessions which are characterized by extensive violence third party intervention and dissenting minorities. The author criticizes the use of state violence in contested secessionist movements and supports her argument by citing examples of secessions