MINORITY CULTURES IN CATALAN CULTURE

Transcription

1 MINORITY CULTURES IN SPAIN. CATALONIA AND THE CATALAN CULTURE Dr. Joan Tort Oulun Yliopisto, Suomi/Finland 24th April, 2008

2 Key words: Catalonia/Spain/Europe Old Europe Territorial i identities Managing the diversity Asimmetry

3 Index 1. The geographical g and historical context of Catalonia. 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe. 3. Looking at the future from the present.

4 1 The geographical and historical context of 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia.

5 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia.. With an area of km² and a population of nearly 7.5 million people, with a long, rich history and its own culture and language, Catalonia is one of the territories with the greatest t geographical personalities in the Iberian Peninsula.

6 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia. Catalan, one of the occidental roman languages,besides spanish, gallego and portuguese, is spoken today by nearly 10 million people (between Catalonia, Valencia and Baleares islands: the domain of the medieval crown of Catalonia-Aragón). Nowadays Catalan language is, in the case of Catalonia, the most important element in the sense of providing a cultural identity.

7 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia..In terms of political geography, g the fact that Catalonia is not officially recognised as an independent state -despite having been a sovereign political entity during many centuries (anyway, y, until the beginning g of XVIII)- may be considered a kind of anomaly. At least, in the sense of the lack of correspondence between the idea of one nation, one state.

8 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia.. The particularity it of fcatalonia, in the geographic sense of the word, has been widely recognised by geographers and historians i at home and abroad.. Main figures: h (2007) km² 2245h/km² 224,5

9 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia.. Some circumstances (related with settlement and population) have contributed to make more complex the catalan microcosmos : a) The position occupied by Catalonia in the northeast corner of the Peninsula (an important crossing point for the major migratory movements and the successive occupations of the land). b) The ancient nature of the first processes of colonisation of the territory. c) The historical coexistence, on Catalan soil, of peoples (ethnic groups) of great diversity; a coexistence favoured by the internal diversity of the physical environment.

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14 1. The geographical and historical context of Catalonia. We find in its territory examples of the main physical and biogeographical features of the European continent: -From the glacial landscapes and the alpine zones of the Pyrenees mountain range to the dry lands of its central plain. -From the wet forests of its north-eastern border to the rich mosaic of Mediterranean agrarian landscapes of its long seaboard. But we find also in all this territory the ancient imprinting of human culture.

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27 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe.

28 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe. Since the 1960s, and specially over the last two decades, we have regarded the process of construction of the political union of Europe. It may be considered an innovative idea, specially in terms of the seeking of a consensus. Its remote origin may be traced back to the writings of the Greek geographer Strabo. We should highlight g a number of achievements: the monetary and customs tariff union, the (poor) development of a supra-state power, advances in the construction ti of a single military force, the introduction of a progressive system of political debate/negotiation at the European scale

29 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe. At the same time, it s a fact the gradual emergence of nationalist sentiments around the continent. In their first phase, seem to point to the redrawing of the political l map of Europe prior to the world wars. A second phase seems to be marked by the emergence of micronational movements : Kosovo (and other territories in the Balkans) being the obvious examples. At the same time, it s worth remembering the microstates t that t continue to survive in Europe, reminiscent of ancient jurisdiction whose roots lie in the medieval period (Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, etc.), and which enjoy full recognition as nations.

30 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe. A number of challenges have still to be faced: Guarantees of internal cohesion and equilibrium i in the progressive construction of a unified Europe. An increase in the real autonomy of Europe in a geopolitical context heavily marked by globalisation. The achievement of a point of equilibrium in the tension that exists between states - nations and regions within the European Union. The perfecting of a democratic political system of great complexity (Duverger).

31 2. Some reflections on the political construction of Europe. Key question: Given the spatial and temporal coordinates that define the European geographical space today, what alternatives are available for territories/nations such as Catalonia, who fail to fit in the current framework of nation states?

32 3. Looking at the future from the present.

33 3. Looking at the future from the present. a) The process of the building of Europe cannot be considered as being complete. We need to bear in mind that in considering its completeness, the end of the process cannot be marked by the construction of the exterior of the continent, but it must also include the building of the interior. b) It is of great concern today, from certain standpoints, that the process of European unification correlates with the (re-)emergence of certain nationalist movements of a strong ethnic base (the Balkans) and of a highly radical nature.

34 3. Looking at the future from the present. c) It is also of great concern that the road towards a united Europe has not, in general, led to the self-limiting or self-regulation of the power of the states, and that we have not seen a gradual regionalisation or processes of greater federalisation.

35 3. Looking at the future from the present. d) Different circumstances leads us to believe that the answer to the prior key question has felt down in a vicious circle: within the European Union the question is seen as unimportant and it is considered an internal matter for the states; within the states it is argued that national/regional demands for recognition have no place in a Europe that is moving towards the breaking up of the frontiers.

36 3. Looking at the future from the present. e) In the case of Spain, it does not seem that the problem of national breakdown has reached a point, in either the short or medium term, of serious resolution. Neither the process of European unification nor recent constitutional debates in Spain (the Estatut of Catalonia, 2006) allow us to harbour serious hopes of political reform on these matters.

37 3. Looking at the future from the present. f) Probably, the historic problem of Spain is its inability to accept the political idea of asymmetry, in a country where traditions of centralism and uniformity are deeply rooted.

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39 3. Looking at the future from the present. g) We are dealing with a problem that can be identified as historical determinism: the political inability to confront certain inheritances from the past that are usually reflected in territorial frontiers.

40 3. Looking at the future from the present. h) Perhaps, at heart, we are simply facing a conflict of forces, that is merely biological in root, and whose antecedents lie in an indeterminate, remote time of our history. This conflict is typically manifest in the fear of the other, materially symbolised in the idea of the frontier. Its extreme version may be the recurring outbreaks of violence (in the form of civil wars) that have characterised the modern history of Spain.

41 3. Looking at the future from the present. The fear of the other : Civil il War in Catalonia (1837)

42 3. Looking at the future from the present. Last but not least: Perhaps the main question is: Who is Perhaps the main question is: Who is really the Other, today, in Spain?

43 KIITOS