Centrifugal and

Centripetal Forces

Centrifugal Force This term applies to any force that

divides people within a state.• Questions:

What centrifugal forces are at play in Eastside?

Centripetal Force Any force that unifies and unites

people within a state.• Questions:

What centripetal forces are at play in Eastside? As we change scale upward, what forces still apply

centripetally and centrifugally?

The Role of Culture & Identity

Much like the various ‘hats of identity’, centrifugal and centripetal forces change roles at various scales.• A person may be an American (centripetally)

At another scale we have the centrifugal forces of: Religion Gender Race Region, Language or Dialect Education Politics Etc..

Centripetal Forces One of the most

powerful centripetal forces is nationalism.• Identity based on

nationhood• Encourages loyalty to a

single country• Promotes loyalty and

commitment• Emotional

Centrifugal Forces One of the most

powerful centrifugal forces is nationalism.• Can lead to separatist

movements• Can promote civil war

Wars effects ripple outward Promotes new grievances

• Encourages a state to counter with power devolution.

Forms of Government Unitary – highly

centralized government where the capital city serves as a focus of power. • Less variance spatially in

the way the country is ruled• Culture of the capital is

culture of the nation Less accommodating for

minorities

Forms of Government Federal – a government where the

state is organized into territories, which have control over government policies and funds.• Government broken into spatial components

of varying degrees of autonomy and control. Provinces could have various laws as they sought fit Accommodates regional interests and concerns

Nigeria’s Federal Government – Allows states within the state to determine whether to have Shari’a Laws

Shari’a Laws Legal systems based on interpreting traditional Islamic laws

Devolution –Movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state.

- Think “top-down”

What causes devolutionary movements?• Ethnocultural forces• Economic forces• Spatial forces

Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements

Eastern Europedevolutionary forces since the fall of communism

Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements

Scotland rise in independence movement is coupled with:

- European Union

- Scotland’s oil resources

Economic Devolutionary

MovementsCatalonia, Spain

Barcelona is the center of banking and commerce in Spain and the region is much wealthier than the rest of Spain.

Spatial Devolutionary Movements

Honolulu, Hawai’iA history apart from the United States, and a desire to live apart in order to keep traditions alive.

Modern Statecraft Balancing and addressing the diverse

interests and needs of a multicultural state has some specific challenges.• Centrifugal and centripetal forces can be one and

the same but act differently at different scales. Example – Kurds in Iraq

Members of Iraq’s new government But also seeking autonomy eventually for a new sovereign

Kurdistan• Balancing the allowance of federal variance while

still maintaining sovereignty.