Recognition and political accommodation: from regionalism to secessionism. The Catalan case (original) (raw)
Contested Sovereignty and Conflict: Between Spain and Catalonia
Russian Law Journal
This paper examines the Catalonia-Spain trajectory. Quite recently, the region of Catalonia became known for its sovereignty demand, which has strained relations with Spain its host state. Economic grievances, nationalism, and political disillusionment are some of the explanations given for the growing secessionist moves in the region. Apart from this, other reasons identified include strained historical ties, class struggle, the erosion of its autonomous region by General Francisco Franco and the subsequent demand for selfdetermination by separatists. An issue that runs through this work is the refusal of the Spanish government to concede to this separatist’s demand which has deteriorated any negotiations for dialogue. However, the Spanish government has announced that it is open to negotiate anything except a referendum. Furthermore, based on the reaction of the Spanish government, the 2014 referendum held by the Catalans seems to be nonconclusive. This study, therefore seeks to e...
Publius-the Journal of Federalism, 2009
This article analyzes the constitutional change in federations that is driven by the bottom-up reform of subnational units' constitutional arrangements as an alternative to the reforms of the federal constitution. Looking at the case of Catalonia's recent reform of its statute of autonomy, it discusses and evaluates some of the benefits and pitfalls of the utilization of substantial subnational constitutional discretion and the likely consequences of this mode of reform for the Spanish model of federalism and others. This is done through the study of the initiation of the Catalan reform process, its content and scope, and through the investigation of the political and institutional factors that account for its occurrence and final outcomes.
Thinking about the Political Situation in Catalonia
IAFOR Journal of Cultural Studies 4, Issue 1, 2019
Catalan Separatism is, above all, a peaceful movement for self-government, defending the capacity for taking decisions as a nation, as a State, in an inclusive way. It defends sovereignty in all aspects, including income generated in Catalonia, and the distribution of wealth. The Spanish transition after 1975 failed to encourage the construction of a pluralist State, and the autonomic framework has proved to be unsatisfactory. The reluctance of some parties in the government to give more autonomy to Catalonia, especially in the last ten years, and to recognise it as a nation, has led to a significant increase in Catalan independence supporters. Extreme right-wing movements have emerged recently, defending the unity of Spain and attacking democracy, not only in Catalonia, and their sometimes violent riots are tolerated more permissively by Spanish authorities than actions in favour of Catalan prisoners on remand. The conflict is a challenge to the idea of Spain as it is now and also an occasion to think about what kind of political framework Europe offers to its members. Europe should perhaps offer more flexibility to communities having different languages and cultures, and therefore, the Catalan crisis is an opportunity to imagine a new European order.
Catalonia: Federalism or Secession
Is there a political space for a possible federal accommodation of the demands of self-government in Catalonia and how is it configured? In order to answer these questions, we address first the conceptualization of federalism, and then, from an evolutionary perspective, we focus on the "Catalan issue" and its institutional outputs. The general assumption, in political and media discourse, namely, that "being in favour of the independence process", "wanting to separate from Spain" and "being nationalist" constitute a single argument and mean exactly the same, has served to conceal a debate that is very complex, plural and full of nuances. We pose an analysis that pivots on the identity question and the type of political-territorial solution, the importance of the different leaderships in the process and the party identification with respect to the constructive nature of the political preferences of the electors and their positioning on the issues.
Separatism Today: The Geopolitically Significant Case of Catalonia
STRATEGIES XXI: The Complex and Dynamic Nature of the Security Environment, 2022
Catalonia’s national identity has its roots in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times. In the 19th century, the Catalonian search for independence was encouraged by romantic and revolutionary concepts spread across Europe. After the First World War, we can notice a significant increase of political actions as regards the Catalonian nationalists-separatists, including violent episodes and riots in main cities. As for the contemporary period, the financial crisis in 2007-2008 acted as a new booster for nationalist-separatist ideas leading eventually to referendums in 2009 and also in 2017. The present study is exploring in a historical register the process of Catalonian’s independence. In doing so, I intend to identify and examine the Catalan’s main reasons in claiming complete political independence. The study tackles particularly recent interviews presenting opinions of several Catalonian citizens, some of them with political or administrative responsibilities, concerning regional i...
Self-Determination and Coercion in Spain. The Case of Catalonia
Revista d'Estudis Autonòmics i Federals - Journal of Self-Government, 2021
Catalonia remains part of Spain despite the unilateral referendum and declaration of independence that took place in October 2017. This article will explore how the central authorities blocked Catalan attempts at self-determination and secession, as well as the consequences of these actions and reactions. Internal and external self-determination in Spain to better understand the move towards unilateralism, and the application of both constitutional and criminal law responses in the subsequent central coercion, will be examined. As regards the consequences, the secession project today seems more unattainable and the project of union less attractive.
Legalizing secession: the Catalan Case (coauthor Lluís Pérez)
In this article we review the main theories of secession from a normative point of view, relating them to the debate on the constitutionalization of secession and the Catalan case in particular. Our conclusion is that secession conflicts are complex because several issues related to justice and democracy are involved. For the Catalan case, we defend the idea of adopting a constitutional or (quasi-)constitutional approach as a peaceful and reasonable way to handle the secessionist debate. This would take into account what authors such as Norman or Sunstein have suggested in their analyses. Liberal democracies are able to consider secession as a way of solving territorial disputes, which need to be approached from a pragmatic and reasonable point of view.