Abstract
This paper analyses the South Tyrolean power-sharing system using a security studies
perspective. South Tyrol is one of the best confirmations of the assumption of power-sharing
theories that such type of arrangement might encourage elites’ interethnic cooperation that at a later stage could spill over into society at large. However, power-sharing systems do not always work. Appling concepts from security studies (societal security and securitization) the paper identifies which specific dynamics made South Tyrol a successful story. I argue that this security studies framework offers a new insight to understand how power-sharing systems can tackle violent forms of ethnic mobilization and foster peaceful integration of society. The analysis shows that power-sharing arrangements, like those implemented in South Tyrol, can work when enacted in combination with other measures tackling societal security concerns, including measures of desecuritization that address processes of securitization, through which ethnic diversity is perceived as salient and conflictual.