Exploring developments in both the European Union and the African Union, this book re-examines the interpretation of self-determination in international law.

Challenging the view that self-determination is solely a legal norm, it argues that the principle remains dynamic, shaped by political realities and evolving institutional frameworks. Drawing on developments within the European context - including debates surrounding Catalan and Scottish independence - while extending the analysis to the African Union, the book examines how self-determination claims emerge within supranational frameworks. By tracing the interaction between supranationalism and self-determination, the book maps a new trajectory for the principle across these regional contexts. It also examines the historical and political factors that have shaped its interpretation, including decolonisation, the role of the United Nations in the formation of customary international law and the relationship between self-determination and related legal concepts.

This book will be of interest to scholars of international law, European and African Union law, human rights and public law.

Felicitas Benziger is a Lecturer in Law at University College Cork in Ireland. Her research focuses on international and comparative law, with particular interests in self-determination of peoples and supranationalism. She has contributed to research on human rights and constitutional law, including the protection of the inner self, freedom of thought, privacy and mental integrity in the digital age as part of the Law and Inner Self Project, funded by a Research Ireland Laureate (Consolidator) Grant (2022-2026). While primarily grounded in legal methodology, her research incorporates interdisciplinary perspectives from philosophy, sociology and the wider humanities.