The Island that Wasn’t: Autonomous Crete (1898–1912) and Experiments of Federalization

This paper discusses the inauguration of the Autonomous State of Crete in an attempt to address both the specific contextual characteristics of its foundation and a few broader theoretical questions regarding the issues of interdependency and shared sovereignty in the context of modern state building. Specifically, the paper addresses the federal aspects of the Cretan polity by reference to region and religion. At a parallel level, it integrates this discussion with three political actors directly involved in the making of Autonomous Crete: the Great Powers, Greece and the Ottoman Empire. Moving away from acute dichotomies, this discussion suggests that autonomy reveals the blurry boundaries between nation-state and empire, as well as the origins of minority politics by reference to late 19th-century colonialist interventions.