Nationalist Violence in Postwar Europe

Luis de la Calle is Professor of Political Science at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE, Mexico City). Formerly a Research Fellow at the Juan March Institute of Madrid, he earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the European University Institute of Florence. His work focuses on the dynamics of armed groups, with a special focus on terrorism. He has conducted extensive field research in Northern Ireland, the Basque Country, Corsica, Peru, and Mexico. His work has been published in journals such as the Annual Review of Political Science, the European Journal of Political Research, International Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, the Journal of Peace Research and Politics and Society.

• 1. Introduction; 2. The argument; 3. An empirical approach to nationalist violence in postwar Western Europe; 4. The Basque country vs Catalonia: prior mobilization and differences in responsiveness; 5. Northern Ireland vs Wales: the power of institutions; 6. Corsica vs Sardinia: prior autonomy and differences in responsiveness; 7. Conclusions, limitations, and extensions.

'What a timely book! As we watch terrorism unfold throughout the world, De la Calle offers an explanation grounded in the intersection between nationalism and violence. His nuanced account draws on data and history from Western Europe and Canada, but his arguments and findings illuminate countries and contexts well beyond his cases. His is a masterful piece of social science.' Margaret Levi, Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California