The Problem of Peoples

It is commonly acknowledged that ethnic conflicts can bring claims of political legitimacy into question, but state-centric approaches have tended not to consider the philosophical implications of the struggles between peoples and states. The claims of peoples seeking greater levels of political autonomy and cultural recognition are generally viewed as matters of regime change (state reform) or separation (state building). Ethnic conflict ‘management'' seeks to ensure that these struggles do not disrupt regional or international stability. However, this managerial approach severely underestimates the discursive significance of ethnic struggles. Ethnic peoples may seek state reform or building to redress their material and symbolic conditions of alienation and invidious treatment. However, ethnic struggles can also challenge established assumptions of civility and sovereignty that define legitimate political communities and the normative architecture of global politics more generally. This book argues that the problem of peoples is not marginal but a profound philosophical struggle for legitimacy; one which has the potential to reshape the foundations of global politics.