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This comparative study of conflicts over asymmetrical territorial autonomy examines the special status processes in Tibet, Hong Kong, Catalonia, and Corsica.
About the Book
Constructing Mexico City: Colonial Conflicts over Culture, Space, and Authority examines the spatial, material, and cultural dimensions of life in eighteenth-century Mexico City, through programs that colonial leaders created to renovate and reshape urban environments. Focusing particularly on the administration of Viceroy Juan Vicente de Guemes Pacheco y Padilla, the second count of Revillagigedo (1789-1794), this book considers how the Spanish Bourbon reforms were re-imagined at the local level in Mexico City, within the context of the built environment and the people who define, occupied, and used space within the colonial capital. The plans and ideas of Revillagigedo place him within a broader network of colonial bureaucrats who sought to improve and transform the Spanish Empire in the age of Enlightenment."
Review Quotes
1.
“This excellent book discusses minority issues by taking up four case studies: Catalonia (Spain), Corsica (France), central Tibet (China), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China). The juxtaposition of these four, with their democratic and authoritarian political backgrounds, allows the development of theory on ethnic minorities and the raising of some really important issues. Examples include: how much does a democratic polity contribute to the resolution of ethnic tensions; and what affects the degree of autonomy that states allow ethnic minorities? The four cases chosen are all controversial but, coming from such different cultures as China and Western Europe, they are very enlightening and in a way that can only lead on to more comparative research. As one familiar with the issues in China, I was struck by how balanced, fair, and perceptive the treatments are. The book is also well written and holds the reader’s interest. The book adds beautifully to t
2. "This excellent book discusses minority issues by taking up four case studies: Catalonia (Spain), Corsica (France), central Tibet (China), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China). The juxtaposition of these four, with their democratic and authoritarian political backgrounds, allows the development of theory on ethnic minorities and the raising of some really important issues. Examples include: how much does a democratic polity contribute to the resolution of ethnic tensions; and what affects the degree of autonomy that states allow ethnic minorities? The four cases chosen are all controversial but, coming from such different cultures as China and Western Europe, they are very enlightening and in a way that can only lead on to more comparative research. As one familiar with the issues in China, I was struck by how balanced, fair, and perceptive the treatments are. The book is also well written and holds the reader s interest. The book adds beautifully to the literature on ethnicity not only on the theoretical plain, but also through beautifully crafted and illuminating case studies." - Colin Mackerras, Emeritus Professor, Griffith Business School, and author of Ethnicities in Asia or China s Ethnic Minorities and Globalization
3.
"This excellent book discusses minority issues by taking up four case studies: Catalonia (Spain), Corsica (France), central Tibet (China), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China). The juxtaposition of these four, with their democratic and authoritarian political backgrounds, allows the development of theory on ethnic minorities and the raising of some really important issues. Examples include: how much does a democratic polity contribute to the resolution of ethnic tensions; and what affects the degree of autonomy that states allow ethnic minorities? The four cases chosen are all controversial but, coming from such different cultures as China and Western Europe, they are very enlightening and in a way that can only lead on to more comparative research. As one familiar with the issues in China, I was struck by how balanced, fair, and perceptive the treatments are. The book is also well written and holds the reader s interest. The book adds beautifully to the literature on ethnicity not only on the theoretical plain, but also through beautifully crafted and illuminating case studies." - Colin Mackerras, Emeritus Professor, Griffith Business School, and author of Ethnicities in Asia or China s Ethnic Minorities and Globalization
4.
"This excellent book discusses minority issues by taking up four case studies: Catalonia (Spain), Corsica (France), central Tibet (China), and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China). The juxtaposition of these four, with their democratic and authoritarian political backgrounds, allows the development of theory on ethnic minorities and the raising of some really important issues. Examples include: how much does a democratic polity contribute to the resolution of ethnic tensions; and what affects the degree of autonomy that states allow ethnic minorities? The four cases chosen are all controversial but, coming from such different cultures as China and Western Europe, they are very enlightening and in a way that can only lead on to more comparative research. As one familiar with the issues in China, I was struck by how balanced, fair, and perceptive the treatments are. The book is also well written and holds the reader s interest. The book adds beautifully to the literature on ethnicity not only on the theoretical plain, but also through beautifully crafted and illuminating case studies." - Colin Mackerras, Emeritus Professor, Griffith Business School, and author of Ethnicities in Asia or China s Ethnic Minorities and Globalization
