Abstract

MORALES DAVILA, Victorino  and  REYES SILVA, Carlos Manuel. Shared Identities: The Centrality of Cultural Bonds as a Paradiplomatic Engine. Desafíos [online]. 2016, vol.28, n.1, pp.79-120. ISSN 0124-4035.  https://doi.org/10.12804/desafios28.1.2016.02.

This article aims to analyze the relevance of identity factors in paradiplomatic activities. To this end, we have developed a framework adapting certain theories from International Relations to the field of Paradiplomacy. In addition, a methodology based on analytical categories is introduced and applied to three case studies which due to their particularities serve to illustrate this phenomenon: the relationship between Quebec and France, the French Basque communities with respect to the Basque Country and Navarre, and the Kurdistan Regional Government in relation to the Kurdish towns in the neighbor states of Iraq. The theoretical and empirical analysis helps to understand the choice of an actor to cooperate as part of a mutual identification, meaning that they feel part of a bigger community. This may not only motivate the paradiplomatic relationship but it might even be an end in itself, as it may lead to agreements regarding the preservation of the culture shared by both parties. However, the peculiarities of each case show that, although identity serves as a paradiplomatic engine, there are other factors that reduce the potential for cooperation.

Keywords : Paradiplomacy; identity; subnational governments; cooperation.

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