Conceptualising Collective Recognition

Abstract

This chapter presents the first systematic conceptualisation of collective recognition, and the distinct role international organisations play in it. Drawing on an empirical base broader than existing studies and innovatively synthesising insights from official documents, interviews, field observations and secondary literature, a novel typology of three state recognition positions is introduced, arranged on an ordinal scale: full recognition of statehood, non-recognition, and titular recognition of a right to statehood. The latter is further divided into exclusive recognition of a right to statehood (where statehood is the only acceptable outcome for self-determination) and optional (where statehood is one among several possibilities, such as autonomy). The chapter details how these positions are collectively expressed by international organisations through institutional means (e.g., membership) and declarative acts (e.g., official statements).