SPS academic’s book wins prestigious Institute for Self-Government Studies award
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Dr Karlo Basta from The School of Social and Political Science (SPS) has won a prestigious award from the Barcelona-based Institute for Self-Government Studies for his book The Symbolic State. It won the award for best book on the territorial organisation of power.
The Institute for Self-Government Studies (Institut d'Estudis de l'Autogovern in the original Catalan) is a research centre linked to the Government of Catalonia. Its function is to advise on, plan and supervise actions surrounding self-government development, as well as engage in research on the territorial organisation of power. The Institute holds an annual award ceremony (Premis IEA) where it recognises the best book, article and doctoral thesis on the territorial organisation of power.
Dr Basta, a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at SPS, won the award for the quality and original approach of his book The Symbolic State: Minority Recognition, Majority Backlash, and Secession in Multinational Countries. The book is a study of comparative nationalism and secession, comparative politics and social theory. It is timely in an era when the power of symbols is reshaping politics.
Dr Basta said: “It is a great honour to have received this award. The idea for The Symbolic State emerged during my research in Catalonia and Spain, so it is fitting that the book is being recognised by the Institute for Self-Government Studies in Barcelona. The award is for a work on the territorial organisation of power, and The Symbolic State certainly speaks to that theme, but it is also about the consequences of expressive politics more generally. This gives it added relevance in the context of the rise of identity-based conflict and polarisation across the world.”
Dr Basta received the award at a ceremony on 15 January in Barcelona. The ceremony was led by the President of the Government of Catalonia, Mr. Pere Aragonès.