Catalan Nationalism: Francoism, Transition and Democracy

Are the Catalans content with the outcome of the Spanish transition to democracy? Is there a future for Catalan nationalism within the EU? How does globalization impact upon the survival and development of nations without states such as Catalonia? Will increasing numbers of immigrants transform regional identities? Has devolution fostered secessionism in Catalonia? These are some of the key questions discussed in this book.
Catalan Nationalism considers whether a nation without a state, such as Catalonia, is able to survive within larger political institutions such as Spain and the European Union. The author examines the different ’images’ of Catalonia presented by the main Catalan political parties. The book also provides a study of the role of intellectuals in the construction of nationalism and national identity in nations without states in the global era.
The key questions addressed in this book are highly relevant for the study of devolution and its consequences, transitions to democracy and globalization and national identity. Based on a successful combination of theory and innovative empirical research, the scope and depth of the book’s analysis will make it essential reading for students and academics in the fields of history and politics.

Montserrat Guibernau is a Reader in Politics at the Open University. She has previously taught at the universities of Cambridge, Warwick and Barcelona. Her publications include Nations Without States (1999), nationalisms (1996), Governing European Diversity (2001), Understanding Nationalism (2001) with John Hutchinson, and The Ethnicity Reader (1997) with John Rex.