State formation theorising displays a surprising neglect of ‘sovereignty’ both in view of ‘early’ and ‘mature’ states. For the former the density of political space makes it redundant. For the latter it is self-explanatory: a state is characterised by internal and external sovereignty, the ability to shape and enforce its policies independent from outside interference. This ‘Westphalian’ reading, however, downgrades the conceptual value of ‘sovereignty’ analytically by equating it with stateness. In other words, when talking of state formation, sovereignty cannot be thought of independently and results from more immediate actions. I seek to detach the notion of sovereignty from the institutionalisation process with which the creation of states is associated. More importantly, I distinguish types of sovereigntism along which the formation of statehood can be analysed whilst injecting the hitherto unexamined notion of self-determination.
