On the tenth of September, I was able to meet with Professor Stewart for the first time for around fifteenth minutes. Overall, we discussed the beginning stages of my research and where to start off with when formulating a question initially. I was very fortunate for Professor Stewart to have previously e-mailed me some valuable articles to help express ideas. In the next few weeks, I am hoping to be able to read these in-depth to build a foundation of scholarly articles. One of the initial topics we discussed was about broadening my ideas of what to be asking questions about. Instead as of now I should focus more on broader ideas than concentrating solely on Kosovo. This is where we discussed the intersectionality of self-determination and unrecognized states. Professor Stewart provided some examples, and I began to formulate a little more about where my research could go. It felt like I would be looking closer at questions surrounding dealing with how states get to this unrecognized place and surrounding factors on the future of their status. This was an essential part for me as it helped me feel a sense of comfortability in what I would be looking deeper into. We both agreed that I should begin looking at states that fall into the gray area of being recognized by at least one other state to those recognized by almost all of the international community. Finishing this part of the discussion Professor Stewart also discussed antique colonial projects and how recognition of states would work historically before the 21st century. Being able to read up on this would be valuable in gaining a broader perspective of where to formulate my question.
Going from the discussion with Professor Stewart I have no initial questions or concerns that arise immediately. The meeting helped confirm my interest in the topic and know where to go next regarding my research. As of now for next steps, I need to read up more on academic articles focusing on the concepts of self-determination, unrecognized states, and specific cases of unrecognized states. I am thinking of finding time weekly to specifically think about my “puzzle” and where I can add to this conversation. If anything, I must keep my mind open to new ideas and ways to ask my question.
David says
I hadn’t thought about it, but broadening your search to look at all sorts of unrecognized states sounds like a smart idea. You probably know all these, but some “state”-ish territories that immediately come to mind (both current and historical) are Catalonia, the Kurdish people, Somaliland, and even Quebec to some extent, though there are undoubtedly more examples. From what I know there are also issues of identity and state-building in the Eritrea-Ethiopia region. It also might be worth looking at the process of state-building in the former Soviet bloc and how they’ve changed their institutions to establish legitimacy for themselves.
Here’s an interesting paper I found on state-building in Eritrea that you might want to check out, for example: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14678800601066496?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Happy hunting!
Dr. B says
It sounds like you had an informative and productive meeting, Griffin. Overall it sounds like you are on the right track, so just keep thinking about the suggestions from Prof. Stewart as you work on developing and refining your research puzzle, and keep reading and researching! I look forward to seeing how the project develops.