"Bold and direct, Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty succinctly draws together normative theory and comparative politics as very few have done in this area." -- Peter Graefe, Department of Political Science, McMaster University "This is a clear and courageous work that sheds light not only on the conflicts in progress in Scotland, Quebec, and Catalonia, but also on the general debate regarding supranational institutions' legitimacy in a diverse and globalized world." -- Daniel Innerarity, Ikerbasque Chair in Social and Political Philosophy, University of the Basque Country "Drawing on his deep, unparalleled comparative knowledge of complex federal regimes, Gagnon combines the resources of political theory and comparative political sociology to define the conditions in which minority nations can flourish." -- Guy Laforest, Department of Political Science, Universite Laval "The main objective of this important and timely study is to suggest new paths by which members of minority nations may work towards emancipating and empowering themselves within the federations in which they coexist with other nations and partners of various kinds." -- From the Foreword by James Tully

For thirty years, Alain-G. Gagnon has been one of the world’s leading experts on federalism and multinational democracies. In Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty, he presents an articulate and accessible introduction to the ways in which minority nations have begun to empower themselves in a global environment that is increasingly hostile to national minorities.

Comparing conditions in Quebec, Catalonia, and Scotland, Gagnon offers six interrelated essays on national minorities, processes of accommodation, and autonomy and self-determination within a modern democratic context. Based on a long career of scholarly study and public engagement, he argues that self-determination for these “nations without states” is best achieved through intercultural engagement and negotiation within the federal system, rather than through independence movements.

Already translated into fifteen languages from the original French, Minority Nations in the Age of Uncertainty is an essential text on the theory of multinational federalism and the politics of minority nations.This edition also features a foreword by noted political scientist and philosopher James Tully that discusses the significance of Gagnon's work.