Introduction Min Reuchamps PART 1 SETTING THE STAGE Chapter 1 Critical junctures, feedback effects and constitutional change Luc Turgeon Chapter 2 Québécois and Walloon identities Jean-François Caron PART 2 POLITICS IN QUEBEC AND WALLONIA Chapter 3 Constructing Quebec and Wallonia: how political parties speak about their region Heidi Mercenier, Julien Perrez and Min Reuchamps Chapter 4 Career patterns in multilevel Quebec and Wallonia Jérémy Dodeigne Chapter 5 Local politics in Quebec and Wallonia Sandra Breux and Vincent Jacquet PART 3 POLICIES IN QUEBEC AND WALLONIA Chapter 6 Québécois and Walloon public administrations Maxime Petit Jean Chapter 7 Language policy in Quebec and Wallonia Philippe Hambye Chapter 8 International relations of minority nations Stéphane Paquin, Marine Kravagna and Min Reuchamps Conclusion Minority nations in multinational federations Michael Burgess

Min Reuchamps is Professor of Political Science at the Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.

Multinational federations rest on the coexistence of two or more nations within a single polity. Within these federations, minority nations play a significant role as their character differs from the other building blocks of the federation.
This edited volume offers a comprehensive comparison of two such minority nations - Quebec in Canada and Wallonia in Belgium - which exemplifies many dimensions, themes and issues highly resonant to the study of federalism and regionalism across the globe. Quebec and Wallonia have experienced several decades of federal dynamics where both regions have had to find their way as a minority nation in a multinational federation. For those studying federalism and regionalism their importance lies in a number of characteristics, but principally in the fact of these minority nations have transformed into mini-states with fully fledged legislative powers within their federation. This book seeks to study the specific dynamics within these small worlds and between them and the rest of the federation.

This text will be of key interest to students and scholars of federalism, nationalism and regionalism, comparative politics and policies, political ideas and social movements.