ABSTRACT
This chapter examines unions and unionisms in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, placing the forms of unionism in Northern Ireland and in the United Kingdom in a comparative framework. Unions and unionisms are important because they offer an alternative form of politics to that of nation-states and nationalisms. They allow a wider variety of relations between a plurality of peoples, opening prospects of resolving territorial conflicts. But unionisms, as state- or polity-centred perspectives, are also typically power-centred, often using the resources of the polity to resist assertion by their members, thereby turning democratic challenges into secessionist ones. Unionisms have long been central to the study of politics on the island of Ireland. Theoretically unions and unionism can be more inclusive and open to diversity than nation-states and associated nationalism, but in practice they often centralise power and marginalise the voices of certain groups.
