Irredentism

This article provides a historical analysis of the relationship between a “historical” diaspora—the Greek diaspora—and its irredentist homeland. In particular, it examines the diaspora policies the modern Greek nation-state adopted since having carried out, at least in its major part, the mission of its territorial unification—namely since 1922. It situates Greece within a broader set of irredentist cases that were involved in the movements for national unity. Moreover, it argues that what makes Greece a particularly interesting case is the attachment of its contemporary diaspora politics to the 19th century's Romantic versions of nationalism.

The administrative boundary between Laos and Cambodia is amongst the least studied international borders in Southeast Asia. Since Laos and Cambodia became independent in 1953–54, relatively minor but sustained tensions have characterised border relations. An important reason for disagreements is irredentist feelings. Some ethnic Lao in both Laos and Cambodia believe that part of northeastern Cambodia should be added to Laos, while some ethnic Khmer in Cambodia insist that their border should be extended to include part of southern Laos. Different emphases and framings of history have contributed to irredentism and the development of identities in relation to the border.

Building on insights in new Qing history and recent scholarship on Chinese constitutionalism, this paper explores the concept of sovereignty from the first constitutional drafts of the Qing dynasty through the first PRC constitution in 1954. Rather than focusing on the concept of sovereignty as an import from Western "international law", this paper inquires the subtle shifts in the contents of sovereignty as expressed in Chinese constitutions. The paper argues that the current emphasis on China's territorial integrity and sovereignty is historically peculiar from a Chinese constitutional point of view and is rooted in early Republican debates on Chinese legal and institutional reform.

In this paper I try to approach contemporary Hungarian political culture through an analysis of the history of changing monuments at Szabadság Tér in Budapest. The paper has as its point of origin a protest/irredentist monument facing the present Soviet liberation monument. In order to understand this irredentist monument, I look into the meaning of the earlier irredentist monuments under Horthy and try to see what monuments were torn down under Communism and which ones remained. I further argue that changes in the other monuments also affect the meaning of the others. From this background I enter into a brief interpretation of changes in memory culture in relation to changes in political culture. The conclusions point toward the fact that Hungary is actively pursuing a cleansing of its past in public spaces, and that this process is reflected in an increased acceptance of political authoritarianism.