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Definition: sovereignty from Collins English Dictionary

n pl -ties

1 supreme and unrestricted power, as of a state

2 the position, dominion, or authority of a sovereign

3 an independent state


Sovereignty

From Encyclopedia of Identity
Sovereignty is a characteristic of a political entity that, within a defined geographical area, possesses and exercises power that is the highest in that area. The sovereign entity's decision is both generally applicable throughout the area and, although extraneous matters such as public or world opinion are not typically disregarded, the sovereign entity acts independently. Sovereignty has, since the European Renaissance, been an important characteristic of the modern state, assisting in the development of national identity. Initially, sovereignty operated within a state, establishing where power resides. Eventually, sovereignty functioned more within the context of international relations, distinguishing one state from another and thereby defining exclusive areas of political power as well as separable national political identities. Both political thought and political realities since the Renaissance have complicated both the intrastate and international applicability of the concept…
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Full text Article Sovereignty

From Key Concepts in Governance
DEFINITION Sovereignty is the exclusive authority that a state has within its territorial boundaries. Generally, sovereignty acts as a legitimizing concept: we ascribe authority and legitimacy to whoever is deemed to hold it. Effective sovereignty thus comes in large part from the recognition of…
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Full text Article sovereignty

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
‘There is and must be in every state a supreme, irresistible, absolute, and uncontrolled authority, in which the . . . right of sovereignty resides.’ Thus wrote Blackstone in the Commentaries on the Laws of England , 1765–70, arguing that this absolute authority lies not with the sovereign, but with…
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Full text Article sovereignty

From Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology
The nature of sovereign power is one of anthropology’s first and most enduring concerns. Two contending views marked classical anthropology. On the one hand the broadly functionalist view that in acephalous and segmentary societies, ideas of the law and rule had neither a separate sphere nor…
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Full text Article Sovereignty

From SAGE Key Concepts Series: Key Concepts in International Relations
CORE QUESTIONS ADDRESSED What are the constituent elements of sovereignty? What makes the matter of defining sovereignty crucial? What are the main empirical challenges to understandings of sovereignty? DEFINITIONS Sovereignty is understood as the supreme or final authority of a political entity…
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Full text Article Sovereignty

From International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
Jiefang Taiwan, wancheng tong yi...
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This article is a revision of the previous edition article by M.Coleman, volume 10, pp. 255–261, © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. Glossary Government An intimately connected but distinguishable component of the state. Administrative organization acting on behalf of the…
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Full text Article Sovereignty

From The Oxford Companion to International Relations
“Sovereignty is supreme authority” (Jennings and Watts, 1992 , p. 122). The Oxford English Dictionary defines “sovereignty” as “supreme dominion, authority, or rule,” and “sovereign” as “one who has supremacy or rank above, or authority over, others” and “of power, authority, etc.: supreme.” Black's…
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From American Governance
© UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG/GETTY IMAGES
The...
The modern theory of sovereignty was first fully expressed by the French jurist and political thinker Jean Bodin (1529/30–96) in his Six Livres de la République (Six Books of the Commonwealth) of 1576. Earlier thinkers had argued that key powers of government can be held by different persons or…
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From The Columbia Encyclopedia
supreme authority in a political community. The concept of sovereignty has had a long history of development, and it may be said that every political theorist since Plato has dealt with the notion in some manner, although not always explicitly. Jean Bodin was the first theorist to formulate a modern…
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From The Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Diplomacy
A term which is used in a number of different ways, often causing confusion due to a failure to distinguish between these distinct usages. (1) The condition which makes a territorial entity eligible to participate fully in * international relations (sense 2). It consists of constitutional…
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From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
Sovereignty is the supreme power of an individual, country, or state to govern internal affairs without interference from any other comparable authority. Sovereign countries can conduct foreign affairs with other nations, including negotiating treaties, engaging in international commerce, and making…
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