The Basques The Catalans And Spain

This work provides an introduction to Basque and Catalan nationalism. The two movements have much in common, but have differed in the strategies adopted to further their cause. Basque nationalism, in the shape of the military wing of ETA, took the path of violence, spawning an efficient terrorist campaign, while Catalan nationalism is more accommodating and peaceful. Conversi examines and compares the history, motives and methods of these two movements, considering the influence of such aspects of nationalist mobilization as: the choice of language, race and descent; the consequences of large-scale immigration; and the causes and effects of social violence.

Problems and future prospects.

*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading Set in the northeastern corner of Spain and nestled next to France is the autonomous region of Catalonia. The name Catalonia is thought to mean the Land of Castellans (castlan means the governor of a castle), while another version of the story suggests that the name actually comes from Gothalanda, or Land of the Goths, who occupied it in the 5th century. More than seeing themselves as Spaniards, Catalonian people see themselves as Catalan first and foremost, and they all are natively fluent in the language, Catalan. This fiercely guarded sense of identity no doubt comes from having been squeezed between the two major empires of France and Spain, as well as having been at the crossroads of those two powers' violent struggles for centuries. Shaped like an uneven triangle, Catalonia is comprised of four provinces that occupy an area of 12,390 square miles: Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona and Lleida. Catalonia also has a variety of different kinds of communities surrounding it, as its northern neighbors include the powerful country of France and the tiny nation of Andorra. To the south it has the autonomous community of Valencia, to the west is the autonomous community of Aragon, and on the east, it borders the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, there are natural boundaries that serve to divide Catalonia from its neighbors, namely the Pyrenees mountains, which separate it from France, and the pre-Pyrenees and the Ebro River basin, which mark its border with Aragon. It is home to several main rivers, including the Ter, Llobregat, and the Ebro, all of which end in the Mediterranean Sea. It would not be a stretch to say that for a very tiny geographical territory (just 20,747 square kilometers), the Basque Country has inspired a plethora of intense stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes have been cast upon its people from the outside while others have been strategically propagated by the people themselves. For such a small area of land that is home to only 3,000,000 people, the Basque Country is anything but small in terms of its history which is why opinions about its people are so intense, so consequential, and so contradictory. The Basque people have been called "the people who sing and dance at the foot of the Pyrenees," a description that evokes not only their geographical location but also their strong folk traditions. Those words, said by the famous French writer Victor Hugo, infuriate the Basque people to this day. They have also been described pejoratively as "Europe's aboriginals," a reference to the age-old status of their culture which has led many people to fetishize them and their language as ancient. In a much loftier vein, they also have been thought to be the "original," true European natives, the people who established the most prestigious, celebrated elements of European culture. While such small-minded stereotypes rightly tend to antagonize the Basque people, many Basque nationalists have been eager to cultivate an image of their culture as unique and separate from Spain and from France, the larger nations that engulf its territory and that threaten its autonomy. Basque nationalists are eager to point to the rich tradition of archaeologists, politicians, anthropologists, nationalists and folklorists who have grown out of their culture. They have embraced their status as the oldest surviving European people, and they have celebrated their language, Euskera, as one of the world's oldest spoken languages, a non-Indo-European tongue that can brag about having no other related languages in existence.

Franco wreaked havoc on the people of the Basque Country--at one time, it was against the law to even speak any dialect of Basque. This book looks at the emergence of Basque nationalism during the years of Franco's reign and after his death and highlights the struggle between classes and ethnic identity.

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Western Europe, grade: 1,0, University of Wales, Aberystwyth (Department of International Politics), language: English, abstract: Basques are living in seven provinces at the Bay of Biscay on the territories of France (three rather small provinces) and Spain, which constitute the „greater Basque Country‟ or „Euskal Herria‟. In Spain the southern – and by far bigger – part of Euskal Herria consists of the autonomous community Navarra and the autonomous community Basque Country („Euskadi‟) with its three provinces Álava, Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya. Basque nationalists in Euskadi claim especially Navarra as part of their territory. The Basque conflict can be described as a nationalist struggle based on ethnicity which is particularly vital – and violent – in Euskadi. Nationalists in the Basque Country are claiming the right for self-determination and sovereignty in contrast to the Spanish government, which is reluctant to grant the Basques sovereignty. Attacks executed by the separatist terrorist group ETA, which have yet left more than 800 dead, are the violent excesses of the conflict. The case study pays special attention to the distinct features of the conflict by analysing the Basque society. As there has not yet been any progressed peace process, the hitherto existing efforts towards peace are being traced and those problems revealed (especially the issue of „spoiling‟) that prevented a sustainable peace process from getting kicked off. A glance into the future is then dared that takes into consideration recent political changes.

Spain is often referred to as a nation of nations. Ethnocultural differences between the Castilian majority and the Basques, Catalans and Galicians have always been an important issue in Spain. The dual process of state-building and nation-building is of fundamental importance to the territorial structure and the national identities. Spain's way of dealing with the question of nationalities may also be interesting for other European states. The analysis contains the historical development and the current situation of the different nationalities. Based on a concept defined together with the Carinthian Institute for Ethnic Minorities, the case study provides a political analysis of the situation of the nationalities in Spain. Thus, a multi-level analysis of the existing literature, of journals, newspaper articles and of other material is drawn up.

Spanish soccer is on top of the world, at international and club level, with the best teams and a seemingly endless supply of exciting and stylish players. While the Spanish economy struggles, its soccer flourishes, deeply embedded throughout Spanish social and cultural life. But the relationship between soccer, culture and national identity in Spain is complex. This fascinating, in-depth study shines new light on Spanish soccer by examining the role this sport plays in Basque identity, consolidated in Athletic Club of Bilbao, the century-old soccer club located in the birthplace of Basque nationalism. Athletic Bilbao has a unique player recruitment policy, allowing only Basque-born players or those developed at the youth academies of Basque clubs to play for the team, a policy that rejects the internationalism of contemporary globalised soccer. Despite this, the club has never been relegated from the top division of Spanish football. A particularly tight bond exists between fans, their club and the players, with Athletic representing a beacon of Basque national identity. This book is an ethnography of a soccer culture where origins, nationalism, gender relations, power and passion, lifecycle events and death rituals gain new meanings as they become, below and beyond the playing field, a matter of creative contention and communal affirmation. Based on unique, in-depth ethnographic research, this book investigates how a soccer club and soccer fandom affect the life of a community, interweaving empirical research material with key contemporary themes in the social sciences, and placing the study in the wider context of Spanish political and sporting cultures. Filling a key gap in the literature on contemporary Spain, and on wider soccer cultures, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, anthropology, sociology, political science, or cultural and gender studies.