Territory and constitutional order lie at the heart of some of the most pressing challenges facing Europe today. Shaped by historical legacies, diverse identities and the ongoing process of European integration, territorial governance continues to test the resilience of constitutional systems.
This volume explores these dynamics through a comparative constitutional perspective, combining theoretical insights with a rich set of case studies. It originates from the Sapienza University Research Project “Territory, Borders and Institutions: Between Secession and Centrifugal Dynamics”, initiated by Professor Beniamino Caravita, whose vision has inspired the research underlying this work.
At its core, the book examines the tension between territorial asymmetries and secession. Mechanisms such as regionalism, differentiated autonomy and federalism can accommodate diversity within a single constitutional framework, as seen in countries like Spain, Italy and Belgium. Yet these same arrangements may also generate political tensions and perceptions of inequality. Secessionist movements represent a more radical challenge, raising fundamental questions about the balance between self-determination and territorial integrity, as illustrated by developments in Scotland, Catalonia and Flanders.
Bringing together theoretical analysis and comparative case studies from across Europe, the volume highlights how territorial claims shape constitutional change at both national and supranational levels.
A timely and insightful contribution, this book offers essential perspectives for understanding the evolving landscape of territorial governance in Europe. This is an open access book. 

Giulia Caravale is full professor of Comparative Public Law, Department of Political Science, “Sapienza” University of Rome. She holds a PhD in State Theory and Comparative Political Institutions (1995). From 2001 to 2007 she served as Researcher in Comparative Public Law and from 2007 to 2021 as Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome. She is a member of the teaching board of the PhD in ‘Public, Comparative and International Law’ (‘Sapienza’ University of Rome) and she has been the coordinator of the PhD in ‘Public, Comparative and International Law’ since November 2024. She is a member of the scientific and teaching board of the Master course in Parliamentary Institutions "Mario Galizia" for Assembly Consultants, Sapienza University of Rome, and she served as the Director of the Master course, from 2020 to 2023. She has been deputy director of the Department of Political Science, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, since 2022.

Federico Savastano is Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law at the Department of Political Science of Sapienza University of Rome, where he teaches Constitutional Law and European Constitutional Law. His research primarily focuses on the constitutional dynamics of European integration, on which he has published two scientific monographs, and extends to topics such as systems of government, territorial autonomy, rights, and gender equality. He has participated in several national and international research projects on issues related to autonomy and European integration and leads a Jean Monnet Module on gender equality (European Union for Gender Equality). Author of two monographs and more than thirty scholarly contributions, he is editor-in-chief of federalismi.it - Journal of Italian, Comparative, and European Public Law, with which he has been collaborating since 2011.

Laura Frosina is Associate Professor in Comparative Public Law, Department of Political Sciences, “Sapienza”, University of Rome, teaching “Comparative Public Law” and “States, autonomies and separatism”.  She teaches in the Master in Parliamentary Institutions “Mario Galizia”, “Sapienza” University.  She is member of several associations and editoral boards: Italian Association of Comparative Public Law; Centre of Excellence on European Integration and Globalization; - Committee of the Law Review “Nomos. Le attualità nel diritto”; -Committee (Focus America Latina) of the Law Review “Federalismi.it”; - Committee of the Law Review European and Comparative Public Law.  She was member of two National Research Projects (PRIN 2005-2007) and Research Fellow in the PRIN (2010-2011) «National Parliaments and European Union in the multilevel governance». She is Principal Investigator of the project “Cities and Governance Models in XXI Century. Legal, Institutional and Social transformations of the Urban Dimension in a Comparative Perspective” – (National Research Programme 2022-2025).