This chapter tracks the emergence and evolution of the concept of the British nation from the twelfth century through to the present, from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s first attempt to fashion an image of a distinct British nation to the severe challenges the national unit of the United Kingdom has faced in the wake of Brexit and other recent developments. The chapter explores the issue of how the nation is constituted and constructed and, specifically, the role that literature (and culture more generally) plays both in facilitating that construction and in interrogating it. The particular – often fraught – place of Wales, Scotland and Ireland within a formation dominated by England is also explored, together with issues relating to internal colonialism and global imperialism. Among the other issues touched on are class, education, gender and race.

This chapter starts by observing that public responsibility is still understood in very different ways throughout the world, depending largely on the political, social and cultural background of each State. The Chinese, Middle Eastern, African and Central European examples presented bear witness to this reality, and in particular to the close link between the development of public responsibility and the emancipation of the individual from the State and the collectivity. The great diversity of national and supranational practices on a world-wide scale – in a context marked by global challenges and by the still essential role of the Nation-State framework – makes a comparative legal approach essential, not only to prevent unwarranted standardization, but also to bridge differences and ‘further compatibility’.

There is a lack of empirical as well as theoretical literature examining the ways that terrorism spreads across different regions over different historical periods. This chapter looks to address one aspect of this deficit in the scholarship by locating the interrelationship between regionalisation and terror in its historical context. In doing so, it will examine the limitations of thinking about the regionalisation of terror in historical terms as well as the ways that the historical method enables us to understand more clearly some of the main aspects of the issue. In particular, the chapter will assess the relationship between terrorism, history and regionalisation in terms of a number of distinct but overlapping factors: the connection between the nation state, non-state actors and the ‘new’ terrorism; and transnationalism and the contribution of region-specific factors in the formation, evolution and operational effectiveness of terror groups. Despite the absence of much relevant literature, these important issues will be placed in their historical context and will be examined in terms of their historical continuity as they relate to the regionalisation of terror.

Thou shall not return a refugee to persecution. Nation-states declared they had learned that critical lesson from the tragedy of the Holocaust by enacting international refugee conventions and protocols. Today, as refugees seek safety, they find fortress-like liberal democracies building walls of steel interlaced with legal strategies that undermine the international protections forged from the fires of the Holocaust. Consequently, refugees drown in the Mediterranean, die in the Mexico-United States desert, become detained in overcrowded refugee camps and unofficial street shelters, or become victims of criminal gangs. Nation-states have all too often abdicated their responsibility to refugees. This chapter explores this interlocking struggle between Christian hospitality toward the outsider and Christian refusal to offer that hospitality in support of national security. Christian beliefs that encourage submission to governing authorities and prioritize the nation undermine international law to the detriment of not just refugees but also citizens and the world community.

Overviews the church–state relationship across time and nations, drawing attention to countries and circumstances in which the neutrality principle does not apply. Explores the origins of the doctrine, traces its developmental history in relation to religion in various countries, explains key concepts and identifies some different academic interpretations. Discusses the public/private dimensions to religious belief and their balancing within the Western liberal democratic model of government. It gives an overview of the law relating to religious freedom.

This chapter trawls through Part II material to trace patterns/trends of jurisdictional commonality and difference. It follows the structure of the jurisdiction-specific chapters, dealing in four sections with policy and legal framework; the interface between the church–state relationship and the fundamental human rights of religion, association and expression; the church–state relationship and equality rights in general; followed by church–state relationship and equality rights in the context of family matters, health, education, employment, service provision, national security and the migrant crisis. It identifies and examines governing principles emerging from national jurisprudence, which would appear to conform to established US precedents, distinguishing these from the more jurisdiction specific, and it considers those which have, or would seem to be acquiring, a wider international application.

Why have some minority regions experienced more unrest than others and in more volatile ways in China’s reform era? Why have ethnic mobilization and violence occurred only in the two outer peripheral regions, Tibet and Xinjiang? This study examines these puzzles from the perspective of China’s twofold transition from empire to a modern nation state. That is, the integration of frontier regions into a nation state with predominantly ethnic Han Chinese. The first transition was from empire to the autonomous system in the socialist era. The second transition was from the socialist era (1949–78) to the reform era (1978–present).

“Sovereignty” was not always there. What is called “sovereignty” today emerged under certain historical conditions at a certain time and in a certain place, and it can disappear or lose its meaning if the conditions change. Some authors assume that this has already happened so that we find ourselves in a post-sovereign era. The best way to ascertain whether they are right seems to be a reconstruction of the conditions under which sovereignty originally emerged, followed by an analysis as to whether the conditions have changed in the meantime, and, if so, how the changes affect sovereignty. Without such a historical assessment it is difficult to understand the present situation.

“Sovereignty” was not always there. What is called “sovereignty” today emerged under certain historical conditions at a certain time and in a certain place, and it can disappear or lose its meaning if the conditions change. Some authors assume that this has already happened so that we find ourselves in a post-sovereign era. The best way to ascertain whether they are right seems to be a reconstruction of the conditions under which sovereignty originally emerged, followed by an analysis as to whether the conditions have changed in the meantime, and, if so, how the changes affect sovereignty. Without such a historical assessment it is difficult to understand the present situation.

In the chapter David Miller argues in favor of weak cosmopolitanism, as distinct from strong cosmopolitanism. The former amounts to recognizing the rights of strangers but within limits. In the process, David Miller outlines the key principles that enter his theory of global justice. This includes fair terms of interaction, self-determination and access to material resources. Miller discusses the question of immigration as a way to put to work, in concrete terms, his theory of global justice.

The chapter serves as an introduction to the volume. It outlines the rationale behind the project, and the methodology mobilized for the book. In addition, the chapter offers a summary of the conversations. In particular it outlines key aspects of justice. It addresses justice in general at the international and global levels, and indicates how these key assumptions serve as part of the theoretical background for the conversations.