What's up with Catalonia?

by Liz Castro, Carme Forcadell (Contributor), Artur Mas i Gavarró (Prologue)

On September 11, 2012, on Catalonia’s National Day, one and a half million people from all over Catalonia marched peacefully and joyfully through the streets of Barcelona, behind a single New State in Europe. Fifteen days later, President Artur Mas called snap elections for the Parliament of Catalonia, in order to hold a referendum that would let the people of Catalonia decide their own future. The rest of the world and even Spain were caught by surprise, but the events unfolding in Barcelona have been a long time coming. In this new book, 35 experts explore Catalonia’s history, economics, politics, language, and culture, in order to explain to the rest of the world the fascinating story behind the march, the new legislature, and the upcoming vote on whether Catalonia will become the next new state in Europe. With a prologue by Artur Mas, President of Catalonia, and contributions Ignasi Aragay • Laia Balcells • Germà Bel • Laura Borràs • Alfred Bosch • Núria Bosch • Roger Buch i Ros • Joan Canadell • Pau Canaleta • Salvador Cardús • Muriel Casals • Andreu Domingo • Carme Forcadell Lluís • Josep Maria Ganyet • Salvador Garcia-Ruiz • Àlex Hinojo • Edward Hugh • Oriol Junqueras • M. Carme Junyent • J.C. Major • Pere Mayans Balcells • Josep M. Muñoz • Mary Ann Newman • Elisenda Paluzie • Vicent Partal • Cristina Perales-García • Eva Piquer • Enric Pujol Casademont • Marta Rovira-Martínez • Vicent Sanchis • Xavier Solano Miquel Strubell • Matthew Tree • Ramon Tremosa • F. Xavier Vila

Genres: Spain, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Historical

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Elizabeth Castro, més coneguda com a Elizabeth Castro (San Leandro, 12 de maig de 1965), és una escriptora, editora i traductora estatunidenca, coneguda pels seus llibres sobre desenvolupament de llocs web i pel seu activisme per la independència de Catalunya. És gracienca d'adopció.

Reviews

[Gopala Krishna Koduri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a special read for me. The state I grew up in (Andhra Pradesh, India), is on the verge of being split into two parts. Incidentally it so happened that I stepped into another part of the world for a PhD, where a similar story is brewing. Sure enough, that set my curiosity on fire!

As I read through the book, each chapter gave a different perspective about the Catalan nationalism. Especially, the parlance drawn with other similar regions around the world highlighting the differences in the ways such situations are handled, has definitely put the whole thing into perspective. Everything seemed to boil down to just one point: If there is an element of force in governance, it is inherently broken and unsustainable. If there is no mutual respect between the entities that make up a nation/region, it is damned to unrest. The various authors point out the mistakes Spanish government has committed in hurting the sovereignty of the Catalonia region, be it in cultural, financial or political spheres. At the end, the Catalan outrage seems justified, after all, this is what the book is destined to do.

The Spanish vs Catalan cultural and language issues bear a remarkable resemblance to the Hindi belt vs South India (Telugu/Kannada/Tamil/Malayalam speaking regions) issues which have been vehemently fought over during the early years after the Indian independence, even until recent past. Even the financial issues that were discussed in the book, like those of allocation of resources to different regions in the country, can be found to have similarities in the recent history of India (which are also yet to be resolved).

Having said that, it is interesting to note that the movement (or may be I should just say this particular book) seems to exert more emphasis on separatism than decentralization. The separatist movement in my home state has now moved away from being restlessness of people of a particular region, to be a more politically motivated one. But there are certain aspects that came out of this agitation (called Telangana movement), of which decentralization (as propagated by Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan) stood apart as the only sensible way out to these ever growing number of agitations across the country. I'm a little taken aback seeing a lesser emphasis on it in the Catalan movement (perhaps such efforts might have failed in the past?).

Having witnessed some of the demonstrations in person, I'm pleasantly surprised with their peaceful nature. Though they are a common occurrence at the moment in my state as well, there are several unfortunate incidents. There is certainly a mass centiment (a better word for hysteria) that drives such movements, but I can't deny observing better awareness in Catalan society, especially compared to my own. Reasons for this are plenty, ranging from literacy to financial conditions. I will also go ahead and say, Catalans are in general more sensitive to different identities of the people from around the world compared to other Europeans, including Spaniards. I might not be making a personal statement after all, as one of the chapters cites that a survey on teachers in schools of Catalonia and other regions of Spain showed this contrast beyond any doubt.

It seems very barbarous and uncivilized to encroach into the cultural sphere of some people, and make them fight for living their lives as they have been doing it all along. It is unfortunate to see similar stories around the world in the name of big nations with centralized power. Though I personally do not see separatism as a solution and ouch for decentralization instead, I wish Catalans the best in their endeavours to win their sovereignty back! May be this sets an example for Europe to look for alternatives to its current system/organization/geography.

[Elizabeth Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granted, I'm biased, since I am the editor! I think "What's up with Catalonia?" is a great collection of articles on the current political situation in Catalonia, written specifically for a non-Catalan audience. The articles, written by 35 experts and with a prologue by Catalan President Artur Mas, are short and sweet and give a clear explanation of the economic, historical, linguistic, educational, and cultural backstory to Catalonia's fight for independence.

It's the perfect book for a one-time visitor who wants to delve beyond just the touristic sites, and for longer time followers who are interested in how Catalonia's future will affect the EU and the eurozone.

It's also a good look at a completely peaceful democratic movement that took the world a bit by surprise when 1.5 million people (around 20% of the population) came out in a joyful march on their National Day, September 11, 2012, demanding independence from Spain.

[Roy Lotz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not invite an American to speak about Europe; he will usually display great presumption and a rather ridiculous arrogance.
—Alexis de Toqueville

Perhaps the most politically controversial topic here in Madrid is the Catalonian independence movement. Almost everyone I speak to is vigorously against it, for one reason or another. I’ve heard people say that it is just a bluff for political negotiations; that it is based on calculated lies; that it is illegal and unconstitutional; that the Catalans are just crazy people; and so on. Indeed, it is my understanding that disagreement over the Catalonia Question is one of the major causes of the current political deadlock in Spain.

People talk about it a lot. But even after dozens of conversations, I still felt that I didn’t understand the situation; I was only hearing one side of the story. So for my first trip to Barcelona, I decided to open this book, a collection of essays by several pro-independence authors. It is a quick read: I read half of the book on the flight to Barcelona, and the other half on the flight back to Madrid. And now that I think of it, that is probably the best place to read this book, suspended in midair between the two cities.

It is this stance, an attempt at impartiality, that I am trying to maintain. But this is difficult for me. As one of the essays in this collection explains, many Americans are predisposed against independence movements because it reminds us of our Civil War. Of course, Catalonia is a completely different issue, so my association is illogical and unfair; and besides, my whole country originated in a war for independence. Yet I find it difficult to contemplate the option of secession without feeling queasy. That’s my bias.

This collections offers a variety of arguments for and perspectives on independence. The reasons offered for secession range from economic, to sentimental, to nationalistic, to linguistic, to historical, to political, often in combination. But, to quote Warwick, the result is less than the sum of its parts. The authors have different priorities and their arguments often contradict one another, which creates a sense of incoherence. One author argues that the Catalan language cannot be used as the primary marker of their identity, since a significant portion of the region’s inhabitants don’t speak it fluently; but another author comes out strongly for Catalan. Lots of authors talk about taxation and fiscal spending—all of them quoting the same statistics, which got rather tiresome by the end—but others said that they would want independence even if these financial troubles were cleared up. The tone of the essays ranged from dry analysis to impassioned pleas. It’s a hodgepodge.

One thing seriously lacking from the discussions of taxation and fiscal spending was how the Catalonia situation compared with that of other countries. In a nutshell, the complaint is that the Spanish government takes more money from Catalonia than they spend on it. But it is my understanding that this is a common occurrence when one region of a country is richer than another: money is diverted to where it is needed most. New York and California help to fund other states; and from what I’m told, Berlin is on the receiving end of a lot of financial support. If one of the authors had framed the fiscal situation in an international context, it would be easier to see whether it was fair.

These criticisms notwithstanding, I think this is an extremely valuable collection. Yes, there are much better overviews of the independence movement in Tremlett’s Ghosts of Spain and Hooper’s The New Spaniards; but those are two foreigners trying to summarize a complicated situation. This collection lets the Catalans speak for themselves, leading to a much more nuanced view of the independence movement. It shouldn’t be read in isolation; this is only one half of the debate. But it is an important half.

Personally I can’t decide how I feel about the whole thing. I am hostile to nationalism in general; and it strikes me that both the pro- and anti-independence positions are tinged with nationalism, for Catalonia or for Spain. I can certainly understand why, after Franco’s repressive policies, there is a considerable amount of bad blood built up in Catalonia; and I appreciate that it would make many Catalans very happy to have a country of their own. On the other hand, I think one mark of a country’s greatness is the amount of diversity it can incorporate, so I’d prefer it if the opposing sides could figure out how to live together without stepping on each other’s toes. Secession strikes my American mind as an overly drastic solution to the problem. But at this point I will take heed from Toqueville’s warning and say no more.

[Jsibley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read, however very pro-catalan independence in every article. Would be interesting to read both sides of the situation.

[Jose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nobody would accuse this book of being unbiased. It is a one-sided account of the reasons why Catalonia is on an unavoidable course towards secession. Nary a line will the reader find towards exploring the opposing view. Published through ctaloniapress.com as an educational aid to bolster the independentist agenda, it contains some minor typos, unverified statements, contradictions and - especially - omissions.
Some main ideas are repeated ad nauseam :
a) Spain and Catalonia as two de facto separate nations. This would explain the irate attitude of these writers against anything that even remotely sounds like integration efforts into Spanish culture, be it of immigrants or in education.
b) Spain is never a sum of nations but a monolithic bullnecked block. It is labeled, at best, either as deaf to Catalan aspirations or unable to understand its claims . More often than not Spain is a "colonizer", an oppressor, "anti-democartic" and a "plunderer". I removed one star from my review just based on this insulting and superior tone. Especially noted Ramon Tremosa i Balcells' article "The view from Brussels" where he rants against the burden lazy despotic Spain represents to Catalonia , that most "Sacandinavian of nations" in the Mediterranean.
c) The US and Europe should quickly recognize Catalonia as an estate. No questions. (This was when the US was led by Obama). To that end, the authors pile praise upon praise on Brussels and the USA even dredging up the US Constitution,
d) Independence is not ultimately based on language or genetics or even economics. It is a desire born out of a feeling of being Catalan with superior, more European values and a will to self-determination than the rest of the nations that integrate Spain.
e) Who knew? Picasso was Catalan after all.

The reader will be left wondering how this jives with other articles that emphasize the thriving of Catalan culture, business, media and institutions. All the writers in the book are invariably cautious not to ever pretend than Catalonia and the rest of Spain are still deeply connected. Some articles opt for a patronizing tone towards Madrid and any attempt to negotiate further. Never mind the millions of Spaniards, Catalan and otherwise, that actually disagree with the authors. They will have to be assimilated is the reader's guess, into a new State. Probably by using "catalanizaton", a joyous process by which you seamlessly blend into your new country and learn about its rich culture.

Most of the arguments come down to money though. The premise is that Catalonia supplies the Spanish State with and un-proportionate amount of revenue while being denied its share of the infrastructure and services. The reasons for this disparity are left unclear as are the details. Catalunya has the largest GRP in Spain and it is about average in unemployment level. Madrid itself actually receives a lot less than it receives as well -as stated in the very charts the authors provide but selectively comment on. This shuffling of resources does occur in most countries but the authors all seem to agree that the Spanish government has an unshakeable embedded hatred of Catalans. At least they'd love for you to believe that. Or that they are woefully underrepresented. Or that the economic crisis "dragged" Catalonia down when they should have been at the level of Denmark. The Olympics did not ,apparently, showcase Barcelona -and only Barcelona- as they should have . They also seem baffled by odd facts like the radial structure that connects Madrid, the capital, with the periphery. May be a ring structure would be more suitable? If they were Scotland they'd probably complain about London's distance.

The legal dilemma is, may be, the only nugget of reasonable claims here. It is a total disservice to the reader that this possibility of a legal means is immediately dismissed. Spain has an "indissoluble unity" spelled out in the Constitution. This is the obvious interpretation by the Supreme Court which makes any referendum illegal - and not the perceived bias of the "highly politicized" Supreme Court justices as the authors hint. Spain could change its Constitution to allow for divisibility, or not but wouldn't it be at least pave the way ? . The Canadian constitution stops short of that very notion for example. If a nation decided to become independent the Constitution should allow for a clear procedure as long as that divisibility is transferred to the splitting nation. Of course the referendum should allow -to be consistent- with the divisibility of Catalunya itself. If a town in Aragon or a province like Tarragona decided to stay in Spain; or if the Balearic Islands decided to form its own nation based on their insularity, the new nation should also allow for that. Not only do the authors refuse to contemplate those rights but make some territorial claims within France and other kingdoms of Spain, most notably Aragon and Valencia. Anywhere where Catalan is spoken. Similar linguistic/genetic arguments are hardly rational or democratic.

Some look elsewhere for examples of successful integration bringing examples like the U.S. Constitution, Scotland within the U.K, and the Quebecois in Canada. Never mind that for every dollar New Jersey in the U.S. pays to the Federal budget they get .88 back while poverty stricken Mississippi gets three dollars for every one they contribute. This is a solidarity pact, not a difference in culture. There might be a time when the tables are inverted. "Even if Spain was the wealthiest nation in the world, Catalans would demand independence" said Oriol Junqueras. He is correct. This shouldn't be about money, but that's the main argument repeated in almost every article in the book. This is because the underlying reasoning against this matching of resources is that the rest of Spain has a different "business model", shorthand for a culture of hand-outs and laziness. The Catalan business model is a network of local relationships. Is it? Catalonia has had a hefty share of corruption cases entirely homemade. Another model Madrid is apparently in the grips of is the French centralized model. Let's forget recent claims by the same soundbite-producing Junqueras that the Catalans are genetically more related to the French.

Another oft-repeated story in this book is that of the siege of Barcelona by the troops of Phillip V as a result of the Succesion War. The fact that one chapter "Our Sept 11th" tries to make parallels between the attack in New York and this siege should be a good indication of how heavy-handed the metaphors are. These articles practically beg for the goodwill of Brussels and Washington to further their cause by drawing far-fetched parallels like these. Again, the reader might be forgiven for coming out as ignorant as before about the circumstances of this siege if not the result; the disappearance -till recently- of the Catalan Courts, a shame to be sure, but a shame corrected. It is a shame because the Catalans Courts were truly a wonder of legislative autonomy and advanced legislation. The concept of "nation" as engendered by citizenry comes about during the napoleonic wars when national armies are formed for the first time. The reader is led to imagine a fully formed democratic state in happy harmony with the world before the siege. A state banned forever that only now can resurface. History is always written by the "winners" it is said. i wonder if the Spanish people were really winners in this particular war. If anything, I am looking forward to learn more about Catalonia before this events.

In conclusion, if financial , historical and legal reasons are not enough , it really comes down to an emotion, a feeling of being Catalan (and European) to the exclusion of being Spanish as well . The whole book takes pains making it "crystal clear" this identity is incompatible with a concert of nations under one federalist administration. The only way to make this apparent is by reducing the nation of Spain to a deaf oppressor in the best tradition of nationalistic demonization, one that "belittles and underestimates" , one that "colonially exploits" .

Personally, I would welcome a secession referendum in which Spain and Catalonia define the terms beforehand. I am not opposed to an independent nation even though I see a lot more advantages to a common land. I think making Spain more Catalan is not a bad thing at all and it is dumb to deny the amazing contributions that the rest of Spain has made to Catalonia's cultural and economic wealth from flamenco to Picasso. This union has not erased local cultures and languages, on the contrary, they've thrived and they've found further protections in that very government that these authors find so rancid. It seems the end of that effort is at hand along with other troubled fractures. After the end of communism as an European ideology, the eruption of a bottled up nationalist war in the Balkan states, the Greek collapse, Brexit and the resurgence of right-wing xenophobic parties everywhere from Hungary to France or , gasp, the U.S., as a "punishment" vote, here it is again, nationalism as a political opportunity.

[Benjamin Eskola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction to some of the issues around Catalan independence: economics, culture, education, and so on. Got a little repetitive towards the end; it felt like the different authors were writing on the same few topics, so it was hard to remain interested in yet another essay about the Catalan bilingual education system or the economic asymmetry between Catalonia and Spain. On the whole, though, not a bad read, and I look forward to seeing the referendum results within the next year.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, reading this book in 2023 is a bit of a disappointment. This book was written and published in a hurry, when Catalonia thought it had a moment where the time was right to strike a peaceful effort at gaining independence for their nation from Spain, and so it gathers essays from a wide variety of people in the region who are all in one way or another sympathetic or outright demanding towards Catalonian independence and who have a variety of grievances against Spain for their behavior. Unsurprisingly, we might expect that were such a volume to be updated in the present-day, there would be more grievances, but probably less hope that Catalan independence will proceed smoothly or peacefully, especially given the total lack of visible progress towards Catalan independence that we have seen since Spain refused to consider as legal the referendum that demonstrated a majority of Catalans desire to be independent from Spain, something that Spanish constitutional courts have always considered to be illegal and therefore not something that they need to address except through military force and acts of coercion.

This book is a short one at about 200 pages or so, and it is filled with a variety of essays from people who would be more familiar to those who are more familiar with Catalonia than I am, and so I have only heard of a few of the people. Included in the various essayists are the usual group of politicians, activists, academics, and the like. Most of the people writing have a rather notable leftist bias, which does not really do a good job at appealing to me since I have no fondness for leftist community agitators and socialist types of the kind that fill the pages of this book. Somewhat unfortunately, many of the essays of this book cover the same ground over and over again, discussing the importance of the Catalan language to feelings of nationhood in Catalonia and neighboring provinces as well as discussing the unfortunate nature of broken Spanish promises in the period after 1978 as well as the way that Spain's centralized government has viewed Catalonia (and other peripheral provinces) as a cash cow to be milked without providing returns to pay for infrastructure or something else that would be of use. Even though I believe the authors to be correct in discussing the problems of Spain's policies with regards to language, taxation, and a distinct lack of federalism, one does not need to read the same material restated in slightly different terms dozens of times as occurs in this book. It would have been nice to have seen more variety in the subject matter.

Even so, this is a book that I found to have at least considerable interest in terms of its discussion of the problems of the Catalan nation in making itself free in a peaceful fashion in the face of Spanish intransigence, as well as the importance that the Catalans placed on diplomatic efforts with the United States and the European Union in the hopes that these diplomatic relationships might allow Catalonia to avoid international isolation as an independent state. It is also interesting to note that several of the writers seem to think that in the Spanish context, right-wing opinion such as the kind that I have as an American, always comes with a view towards high degrees of centralism and a lack of freedom for minorities, while right-wing opinion in the United States is often very closely connected with ideals of liberty as well as federalism to avoid oppressive and corrupt state and federal governments. It is a shame, but perhaps unsurprising, that this book focuses so much of its attention on trying to appeal to left-wing audiences rather than trying to make an argument that would appeal to someone right of center, as it seems that the authors' familiarity with Spanish politics blinds them to the distinctions that exist within the political culture of other nations that may be potential readers of a book like this one. Even so, with all of its tedious repetition, the problem of Catalan independence is a worthwhile one to read about and study, and this book is worth reading at least to get an idea of what Catalan thinkers themselves think about the desirability and even the necessity of independence for their small but worthy nation.

[Michael Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent range of arguments for a free Catalonia

Imagine a country dominated by a right wing nationalist party that concentrates economic and cultural power in the capital city. Catalonia 's case for independence is carefully argued by a range of advocates. Any democrat in Europe would condemn the threats of violence from the Spanish state but strangely we hear nothing. Read this book and understand why the Catalans want freedom from Madrid.

[Marina Acosta]

wow aquells temps en el que vaig ser indepe

[Miguel Teles · Rating 3 out of 5]

'What's up with Catalonia' is a good collection and translation of a series of articles by renowned academics/politicians/journalists about the secessionist movement of Catalonia. It ends up being a fairly good explanation to any foreigner that wishes to have some historical and political background on the evolution of the movement, the happenings on the origin of its recent growth and how a new state of Catalonia would exist in the world of today if the movement succeeds.

That being said, I also find the book suffers from two flaws, one minor and one a bit bigger.

The minor relates to the repetitiveness of the book, making it slightly redundant at some points. Of course this is something difficult to avoid when making a collection of independent essays about the same subject, but at some points I can't stop feeling it could be better curated. One or two articles are even just unnecessary considering the quality and content of the rest.

The second flaw, that one a little less minor, is the fact that it does not present articles and opinions from the other sides of the whole matter. This way it might not offer an unbiased and complete view of the situation. And of course, it doesn't present the other options currently in discussion, shared and defended by non-Catalans and Catalans alike.

It should be the Catalans' democratic and peaceful choice the ultimate one to follow, but it would be interesting to have a broader view of the subject.

[Yovko Lambrev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Четейки тази книга непрекъснато си задавах един въпрос - за сходствата и за различията между Каталуния и България. Знам, че на пръв поглед да говорим за сходства е странно, но има доста - в мащаба, в съдбата... И в същото време, разбира се, контрастите впечатляват повече, особено в контекста на икономическо развитие, градска култура, книгоиздаване, обществен диалог, медии, отношение към имигранти, влияние и използване на Интернет и социални мрежи, образование и политика.

Основната идея на тази книга е да обясни на незапознатия чужденец какво провокира и захранва това много любопитно за изследване ненационалистично, мирно и демократично движение за независимост, което се случва в Каталуния. Особено в контекста на предстоящите предсрочни парламентарни избори в автономната област, насрочени за 27 септември 2015 година, които ще имат смисъл на рефередум за независимост, и които ще определят историята и с��дбата на Каталуния занапред. Но дори извън тази основна тема, книгата продължава да бъде интересна именно с изводите и примерите, които ние като българи можем да извлечем. Особено за постоянството и обществения консенсус, с които каталунците се борят за демократичното си право на глас и самоопределение.

Книгата може да се свали свободно от сайта на българския си издател Сдружение "Диалози": http://dialog.ink

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2083743.html[return][return]This is a digestible book of 35 essays about Catalonia, all written at the end of last year, which is being widely distributed by sympathisers of the Catalan cause. The two key grievances which come up again and again are the question of fiscal imbalance, where Catalonia feels that it is subsidising the manifestly unsuccessful policies of the central Spanish state, over which is has little say and for which it gets little in return; and the language issue - using Catalan in public could get you arrested not very long ago, and Madrid does little to reassure Catalan concerns on this point. There are two pieces about Europe, a snapshot of Brussels opinion by a leading MEP, and a brief but powerful piece by Edward Hugh on the political economics (or the economic politics) of Catalonia's drive for independence.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro interesante, especialmente para aquellos que no conocen esta realidad. Una población con su propio territorio, una identidad cultural y sus propias instituciones políticas debería tener todo el derecho democrático a decidir sobre su futuro.

A book interesting, especially for those who do not know this reality. A population with its own territory, a cultural identity and its own political institutions should have all the democratic right to decide on their future.

[Kayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great primer on what's up with Catalonia. Some readers have noted the repetition in certain segments about language especially, I think this minor flaw emphasizes just how integral language is to culture, especially in the Catalans' case. Took away a deep sense of how important the independence issue is and how it won't go away regardless of the referendum this year.

[Ellie McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have the slightest interest in nationalism, I would recommend this book.
I thought it was brilliant! I love how it presents a range of views across Catalan nationalism highlighting the cultural, economic and political aspects.

[Casper Borly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a profound introduction into how the Catalans sees themselves. I enjoyed most of the book, however I could have used that some of the texts were not completely biased.