DIVIDE examines how secession referendums affect ethnic and national identities, relationships between the affected groups, and the political communities they belong to. Hence, secession referendums bring questions of territory, belonging, and political boundaries into public debate. More specifically, campaigns and referendum outcomes might polarize national and ethnic identities or resolve territorial disputes and hence pacify intergroup conflict. DIVIDE studies these processes and their consequences within democratic societies.
The project brings together research on ethnic and national identity, intergroup relations, political conflict, and direct democracy. It examines secessionist politics across established democracies across different levels of governance including the supranational level (e.g. Brexit), the national level (e.g. Canada), and the local level (e.g. the Swiss Jura) and it investigates different stakeholder groups including majorities and minorities in the affected territories. Using survey research, comparative analysis, and causal research designs, DIVIDE investigates both the immediate and longer-term effects of secession referendums.
DIVIDE is based at Franklin University Switzerland and is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through project 10003605. The research grant amounts to CHF 997,508 and covers the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2029.
Research Objectives
Identity Transformation
Analysis of how secession referendums reshape and strengthen ethnic and national identities within democratic societies.
Conflict Dynamics
Examination of the ways referendum campaigns and outcomes influence tensions, cooperation, and intergroup relations at the international, national, and local levels.
Majority–Minority Relations
Investigation of how secession referendums affect different groups involved in the process, including:
- Majorities in seceding regions
- Minorities in seceding regions
- Majorities in remaining territories
- Minorities in remaining territories
Democratic Governance
Development of insights that can support democratic societies in addressing political polarization, managing ethnic tensions, and promoting peaceful coexistence.
Recent Activities & Conference Participation
Academic Presentations and Workshops
Since September, members of the DIVIDE project have presented their research at several international academic conferences and workshops, including:
- Swiss Political Science Association Annual Congress — Zurich
- Young Researchers Conference
- ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops
- Workshop on Political Identities in Europe — November
- Research presentation at ETH Zurich — March
