Negotiating Spain and Catalonia

by Solis, Fernando Leon

• ISBN13: 9781841500775
• ISBN10: 1841500771
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-10-01
• Publisher: Intellect L & D E F A E

Summary

The two case studies included in this book (dealing with the Football World Cups of 1994 and 2002, and the general elections of 1996 and 2000) examine competing discourses of Spain, Catalonia and their national identities, as constructed in the Spanish press. The conservative discourse offers traditional and unified images of Spain close to the stereotype, whereas more liberal visions of the country regard 'Europeanism' and 'reason' (not 'passion') as the values Spain should aspire to. From a peripheral perspective, Catalan self-definition is of a people that is hardworking, thoughtful, truly European, and different from the rest of the Spaniards.
However, these differences between the discourses are not always so clear-cut. Central to Negotiating Spain and Catalonia is the idea of the constant renegotiation of conceptions of Spanish and Catalan identities in order to adapt them to the political circumstance: both case studies show how radically different narratives of Spanishness and Catalanicity offered in the turbulent political past tend to merge in the more tranquil present.

Author Biography

Fernando Leon Solis is a Lecturer in Spanish at the University of Paisley.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Four Discourses of Spain and Catalonia	p. 13
Introduction	p. 13
Two Catalanist Discourses	p. 13
Two All-Spanish Discourses	p. 18
After Franco--A Renewed Clash of Discourses	p. 24
Political Background to the Period 1993-1996	p. 26
After the 2000 Elections	p. 30
Media Outlets	p. 32
The Game of the Nation: Football and Identity	p. 39
Introduction	p. 39
Sport and Discourses of National Identity in Spain	p. 39
Textual Analysis	p. 45
Monoglot and Heteroglot Discourses	p. 45
The Monoglot Discourse	p. 47
Heteroglot Discourses	p. 53
Myths and Counter-Mythical Myths	p. 73
Epilogue: From Opposition to Consensus	p. 75
Catalonia: Victim and Redeemer of Spain	p. 81
Introduction	p. 81
The Catalanist Differential Narrative	p. 90
Turning Point and Preparation for the Test	p. 96
The Negative Reaction to the Test	p. 112
The Positive Reaction to the Test: Glorification of the Catalan Hero	p. 114
The PP is the New Spanish Hero: a Story of Success	p. 116
The PP is the Disguised Villain: a Story of Trickery	p. 119
Strategic Anti-Catalanism: the Irredeemable Spain	p. 121
Spain: The Persistence of Ignorance	p. 124
The Roles of Catalonia	p. 124
Epilogue: After the 2000 Elections	p. 128
Conclusion	p. 140
National Narratives: Opposition and Consensus	p. 140
National Pedagogy and Renewal	p. 142
Appendix	p. 147
Bibliography	p. 149
Index	p. 156
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