Encyclopedia of Modern Separatist Movements

A publisher of numerous works on contemporary warfare and history has produced another excellent and accurate resource. Hewitt, a sociologist, has written on ethnic conflict and political violence, and Cheetham is an independent scholar in international relations and political science. The introduction describes the range of ethnic separatism around the world since World War II and theories on the phenomenon. Six black-and-white regional maps provide an overview of the movements but are not detailed enough to cover all the areas or activities. Maps also accompany some articles. In addition to a contents section at the front of the work, running heads make the volume easy to use. The 400 entries are alphabetically arranged. Article length varies from a few paragraphs to several pages in cases where the movement toward separatism has been a strong force, for example, in the entries Northern Ireland and Northern Irish Peace Agreement. Coverage includes nations, ethnic groups, regions, beliefs, agreements, claims, organizations, and people. See also references appear at the end of many entries, and nearly all articles include a current bibliographical reference. Black-and-white photos accompany several articles. The entries are quite current, noting, for example, that Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned at the end of 1999 to make way for Vladimir Putin. Information is accurate and sufficient historical background is provided.The work is strengthened by an extensive chronology and bibliography and accurate index. This will be a useful reference source for medium-sized to large public libraries and academic libraries.