consociationalism

noun

Political consociation; government through guaranteed group representation.

Scrabble 23

Meanings

nounconsociationalism (uncountable)

alternative consociationism

  1. uncountablePolitical consociation; government through guaranteed group representation.

    Consociationalism has been described by its best-known proponent as a system of government based on a "cartel of elites."

    1996, Ian Shapiro, Democracy's Place: Air Power and Coercion in War, page 102
    2 more examples

    Where consociationalism and federalism overlay one another, moreover, the continuity of the latter depends on the stability of consociationalism.

    1995, Hudson Meadwell, “8: Quebec Independence and Secession in the Developed West”, in Sukumar Periwal, editor, Notions of Nationalism, page 140

    The main weakness of consociationalism is that its main successful cases have taken place in Western Europe among groups that have not been in open military conflict with each other. It cannot be established that those societies would not have remained peaceful without consociationalism.

    2002, Thomas G. Mitchell, Indispensable Traitors: Liberal Parties in Settler Conflicts, page 133

Origin

Translations

Arabic تَوَافُقِيَّة
  • تَوَافُقِيَّة (tawāfuqiyya)political consociation
Catalan consociativisme
  • consociativismepolitical consociation
Dutch zuilenstelsel, consociationalisme
  • zuilenstelselpolitical consociation
  • consociationalismepolitical consociation
French consociationalisme, consociativisme
  • consociationalismepolitical consociation
  • consociativismepolitical consociation
German Konkordanzdemokratie
  • Konkordanzdemokratiepolitical consociation
Irish comhshochaíocht
  • comhshochaíochtpolitical consociation
Italian consociativismo, consociazionismo
  • consociativismopolitical consociation
  • consociazionismopolitical consociation
Korean 협의주의
  • 협의주의 (hyeobuijuui)political consociation
Malay konsosialisme
  • konsosialismepolitical consociation
Portuguese consociativismo
  • consociativismopolitical consociation
Spanish consociativismo, consociacionalismo
  • consociativismopolitical consociation
  • consociacionalismopolitical consociation
Turkish eştoplumlaştırmacılık
  • eştoplumlaştırmacılıkpolitical consociation
Ukrainian консоціоналізм
  • консоціоналізм (konsocionalizm)political consociation
Cite this entry
APA

consociationalism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consociationalism

MLA

“consociationalism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consociationalism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “consociationalism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/consociationalism.

Source: consociationalism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.