Scholarship on international sovereignty generally adopts a binary conception: territories either have international recognition, or they lack it and remain unrecognized entities within fragmented states.

In this seminar, we challenge this binary frame by introducing the notion of functional sovereignty: contested territories in practice enjoy varying degrees of international sovereignty over governance functions that require external acceptance for their operation. To illustrate, we introduce a new dataset of functional sovereignty over vehicle license plates, currency, passport issuance, postal service, and national Internet domains within unrecognized (de facto) states. We theorize disputes over these functions as not only a matter of practicality, but also as contestations over symbolic assertions of sovereign statehood. Analysis of de facto state governance over these five functions shows that contested territories collectively exhibit gradations of functional sovereignty, defying binary classifications. Our findings urge a greater focus on the practical dimensions of sovereignty, above and beyond its international legal aspect, for a more grounded understanding of the politics of international recognition.

Adrian Florea is Senior Lecturer (Political & International Studies) at the University of Glasgow

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