ABSTRACT
Movements for self-determination occur when people seek to throw off rule by an auth-
ority that they consider to be alien. They may desire, among other goals, escape from dis-
crimination and oppression; increased control over economic policy; or the right of their
community to cultural and political expression. Yet as scholars and statesmen have long
recognized, the nature of the community seeking self-rule is far from self-evident. Ethni-
city and culture often define community boundaries, yet their constructed and changeable
nature throw into question the durability of fixed political communities based on these cat-
egories. In movements for self-determination, how does a community that supports self-
rule take shape? Why do a set of people come to feel sufficiently alienated from their
central state that they advocate secession? The appearance of a new movement for self-
determination in east Ukraine and consequent violent conflict suggest the urgency of
these questions.
