Shifting the paradigm of patriotism

Catalonia is not Spain,” my grandparents would insist, but it isn't just Catalonia that isn't Spain—it's Spain that isn't any single thing in particular.

There is no one unifying identity throughout the country. People who say there is, do not recognize that others simply do not feel the same—this is precisely the problem. If reason alone cannot make a Basque a Galician, surely it must stand that a Catalan cannot be forced to feel Castilian. In recent years Catalans have become the loudest about this, and far be it for me to point out the obvious, but: people throughout Spain all act and think differently, and this is a direct result of history. If Spain cannot yet recognize itself as a place of different socio-cultural, economic, historical, and political landscapes, how can anyone in the rest of the world possibly be made to understand?

The short answer is that they cannot.

Living in Barcelona gave me a whole new perspective on Catalonia. I moved here in 2010, around when the Spanish Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the unconstitutionality of elements of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy. Since then I've noticed a significant increase in support for separation that's rooted in arguments around Catalan sovereignty and independence. The problem is that these are different issues and are very often conflated in Catalan media, as well as in approaches to the complicated nature of Catalonia's autonomy.

At this point I can, and quite often do, say that culturally speaking “sóc català”. However, my approach to arguments for Catalan independence are influenced entirely by my Canadian upbringing. I should add that my criticism of the issue comes from a privileged position of simply not having to live with any of the consequences one way or the other.

Despite different histories, there are parallels between Canada's relationship with Québec and Spain. This is not to say that Canada's version of federalism is the complete answer; indeed, it cannot be with the complex history Spain has, nor has its political system ever lent itself to this as a realistic option. The problem is multifaceted. It is rooted in an ignorance of history, and a unique kind of extreme nationalism that together have bred resentment in both camps. Stubbornness, arrogance, conflation of issues, and an almost childlike adherence to singular political ideologies have all culminated in Catalonia and Spain, quite loudly and annoyingly, going nowhere fast.

In Canada, our Prime Minister must speak French. In Spain, the idea of the president speaking Catalan, Basque, and Galician as second languages seems absurd. Perhaps the following may paint a clearer picture. In the mid-1990s, when Québec voted on a referendum for the second time, some Canadians donned shirts that said “My Canada includes Québec”. Set in a Spanish context, the idea seems quite unrealistic; almost silly. In Canada, the dialogue has shifted to focus on inclusion. Yet, from those against Catalan independence, I have yet to hear an argument that is shaped positively and in favour of Catalonia remaining a part of Spain.

More importantly, with the current “democracy” just four decades young, preceded by a dictatorship, which sprouted from a civil war that grew out of a monarchical empire, Spain's sordid history reads like a veritable Russian doll of oppression. So, for someone from another democratic country to see Spain stymying any desire to vote on a right to vote on a decision—read: 3 steps back from any real change—it is a glaringly obvious relic of a dark period of history that people here all too easily forget.

Spain needs to come together in more than just an acceptance of mutual differences. Rather, it must shift the present paradigm of patriotism to one that encourages people in all parts of Spain to find unifying values; to develop a democracy based on politics of mutual respect and interests.

We Catalans need to say what it is that is at the core of our concerns: a call for that respect, recognition, and a discourse among equals. The problem is that there is little evidence that Spain's government does, ever has, or ever will speak across the table, rather than down it. If they did, perhaps the government of Spain could, for once, show us why Spain should include Catalonia by, actually including Catalonia in Spain. Then, and only then, can Catalans decide as a respected nation, people, and linguistic culture, whether we want to stay.