Unity in Separatism: Exploring Networks between Separatist Movements in Contemporary Europe

Europe’s borders are currently the subject of much debate. The on-going migrant crisis, the rise of Euroscepticism, economic instability and the demands of separatist movements seeking secession from their parent states present significant challenges and raises questions about the future of the European map. This paper focuses on the separatist issue. Calls for greater autonomy and/or independence are increasing and have important implications not only for the political, cultural, economic and social imaginings of the states in which these demands are made of, but for the wider European region. In March 2014, approximately three thousand people gathered in Brussels to collectively voice their aspirations for independence. The protest, organised by the International Commission for European Citizens, consisted of Scots, Catalonians, Venetians and Flemish and represented a formidable form of what I term 'networked separatism'; a meeting of diverse cultures and political ideologies working together to increase their agency and visibility within E.U institutions. Facilitated increasingly by the explosion of social media, networked separatism aims to mobilise secessionist agendas through sharing knowledge and experience. This paper unpacks the nature of the relationships and interactions between secessionist movements and the extent to which they attempt collectively to influence E.U policy and gain agency for their respective causes.