Sovereignty is undoubtedly one of the most disputed and controversial concepts in politics today. What does it mean to say that a state, a people or an individual is sovereign? In this book, twelve contributors, all specialists in their own area, tackle these questions in different ways. Underlying the range and diversity of their responses is a common problem: how does sovereignty relate to society and the state?

The first part focuses upon developments in British politics, the European Union, Northern Ireland and South Africa in the late 20th century. The second part explores state sovereignty from an international perspective, while the third looks towards detaching sovereignty from the state. Feminist arguments about the self and the exploitation of prostituted women are interrogated along with a democratic analysis of popular organizations and a novel assessment of the question of sovereignty and animal rights.