Divided Identities in Spain – Catalonia Case Study

Indianapolis, IN

For centuries Spain has held multiple national official languages, not just Castilian, which indicate the social and regional differences of a fragmented Spain. With past events, as well as recent events, civic opinion has sparked a debate and prompted an ongoing discussion of Catalonia’s identity. Through the centuries, the issues of diversity of populations, religions, traditions, and social conventions, have coexisted, allowing inclusivity and providing equality, despite the differences under a seemingly united country. Over the centuries, such differences never really disappeared, causing separatism to be voiced and enforced especially by the Basque and the Catalonia regions. Just in September 2017, the Catalan region empowered its own community to advocate for the desire of separatism through a Referendum. This presentation will examine the origins, history, advocacy, and evolution of pro-independence regional separation movements within Spain, showing the connection and asynchronies between place and identity in Spain by using language differences as an empowering catalyst and identifier.