Athenaeums in Catalonia. Culture and Sociability in the 19Th and 20Th Centuries
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CATALAN HISTORICAL REVIEW, 11: 57-71 (2018) Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Barcelona DOI: 10.2436/20.1000.01.146 · ISSN: 2013-407X http://revistes.iec.cat/chr/ Athenaeums in Catalonia. Culture and sociability in the 19th and 20th centuries Santiago Izquierdo* Universitat de Barcelona Received 10 January 2017 · Accepted 20 February 2017 Abstract This article presents an overview of the history of athenaeums in Catalonia during the 19th and 20th centuries until the transition to democracy in the 1980s. This article outlines the essential role played by athenaeums as the backbone of the country, particularly from the cultural standpoint, while also noting that in Catalonia athenaeums have clearly gone beyond their initial cultural mission to play a key role in the political development of contemporary Catalonia as well. Keywords: athenaeums, sociability, associationism, popular culture, civil society Introduction Beyond the different definitions we can assign to athe- naeums, in Catalonia these entities have been more than If we search in the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana for the what is captured in these descriptions. Catalonia has his- meaning of “athenaeum”, we find this definition: “Scientif- torically been a land of athenaeums, which began to ic and literary association devoted to elevating the intellec- emerge in the second third of the 19th century within a tual level of its members through discussions, lectures, liberal Catalonia which was in the process of industriali- classes and readings”. If our source is the Diccionari sation, although this process was causing major social d’Història de Catalunya, we can read: “Institution created and cultural inequalities. This is why athenaeums on private initiative to disseminate modern science and emerged from the ground up, from the middle and work- culture among its members and the populace in general”.1 ing classes, “to palliate inequalities, guarantee a decent Likewise, Pere Solà, one of the top experts on the topic, de- life and contribute to the training and cultivation of the fines an athenaeum as “an institution, a centre that creates people”.5 In consequence, athenaeums and other similar and welcomes culture, that disseminates and compares grassroots institutions became key factors in the modern- cultural alternatives, the outcome of the work of human isation of Catalan society and fostered greater cohesion, reason, which can be scientific or literary in nature”.2 And albeit not without conflicts. From the time they appeared, we have yet a fourth definition, the one from the Federació Catalan athenaeums gained momentum throughout the d’Ateneus de Catalunya (Federation of Athenaeums of 19th century and the first third of the 20th century, be- Catalonia): “An association whose mission is to foster cul- coming key players in Catalan civil society and its web of ture and improve the quality of life of its members through associations. sociocultural activities like talks, lectures, exhibitions, Catalonia is a national community, and one of its hall- workshops, sports, etc.”3 In any event, “athenaeum” is a ge- marks “has been and is the power of what we call civil so- neric term since we can find numerous names for very sim- ciety, which is expressed through an autonomous net- ilar kinds of organisations: workers’ societies, recreational work of associations, independent of the family, political societies (casinos), promoters, centres, choral groups, rec- power and economic wherewithal, which generates a civic reational associations, Catholic patronages, circles, casals, culture. Thus, one of the features of Catalan society etc. The name of the entity often reveals what ideological or throughout its history has been its capacity to organise it- political tendency lies behind the founding of the organisa- self and form associations. This associationism has varied tion and the main reason why it was created.4 in form over time and circumstances, but it has remained a constant backdrop.”6 Catalan associationism has been and is present in such a variety of fields as politics, eco- * Contact address: Faculty of Geography and History, Universitat de Bar- celona. Carrer Montalegre, 6, 08001 Barcelona. nomics, religion, culture, society, education, the work- Email: [email protected] place, sports, recreation and cooperatives, and it has Catalan Historical Review-11.indb 57 29/08/2018 9:52:06 58 Cat. Hist. Rev. 11, 2018 Santiago Izquierdo shaped a dense web of associations that have contributed ture, the world of athenaeums went far to palliate many of to the cohesion of Catalan society. They have played such these shortcomings. In fact, the athenaeums’ contribution a prominent role that in many periods in our history, civil to Catalan associationism was essential, and they played a society and the web of associations have been the founda- crucial role in the organisation of the country’s social and tions supporting the country’s political and cultural con- cultural life, in the social cohesion of many Catalan towns, tinuity, even when it did not have institutions of its own. in the survival of the Catalan language and culture, and in Furthermore, they have been active in the struggle against the efforts to propagate culture and politics among the attempts to annihilate it. working classes in the 19th and 20th centuries. Athenaeums have played a crucial role in this entire In a stateless nation like Catalonia, culture is one of the process because they were the predominant form of cul- key factors in behind cohesion and collective identity. tural and recreational association in Catalonia in the 19th There are reasons to claim that associationism is strong in and 20th centuries. During this long period, civil society, Catalonia precisely because it has no state. In some spe- sociability, associationism and membership in athenae- cific historical periods, the dynamism of its social actors ums have often gone hand-in-hand and have merged in has yielded brilliant results, comparable to those of small an almost perfect communion. countries with weak political power. However, we must So where does the name athenaeum come from? It remember that Catalonia’s cultural history has had its ups comes from the temple dedicated to Athena, the Greek and downs: with the exception of the brief yet extraordi- goddess of wisdom and the arts, from which the word nary periods brought about by the cultural policies of the athenaîon, the temple of Athena, comes, and from there Mancomunitat and the Republican Generalitat, and more the Latin athenaeum, the great Roman school and the recently by the restoration of democracy, until the past name given to the first public educational institution in century Catalonia had not had its own public cultural Rome. Towards the end of the Roman Empire, the Athe- structures that could offset or act upon the difficulties or naeum was closed. In fact, the mission and spaces of ath- failures which civil society was subjected to during peri- enaeums virtually disappeared with the fall of the classical ods of crisis. world and did not reappear until the start of the Modern Only by bearing this reality in mind can we gain aware- Age, as part of the Renaissance. ness of the importance of athenaeums and all kinds of The veritable surge in athenaeums took place in the 19th cultural associations in encouraging popular mobilisa- and first third of the 20th century, when all over Europe tion and consolidating the coalescence of the region; we citizens were spearheading a kind of civic associationism should not lose sight of the fact that in smaller towns, the with the name of athenaeums. The most immediate origin athenaeum, the casal or the recreational society is often of these institutions can be found in the 18th-century sci- the only cultural facility. Furthermore, in many cases, entific and literary societies which were founded as part of these entities also serve an educational purpose as schools the Enlightenment. In the latter years of this century, the of democracy, citizenship, tolerance and teamwork. Athénée de Paris (1785) and the Athénée des Arts (1792) Hence, athenaeums and other associations have been vi- were founded in the capital of France, which served as an tally important in the contemporary history of Catalonia. engine driving their spread around the rest of Europe. “It has often been said that Catalonia is one of the coun- tries in the world which has had the largest association movement quantitatively, and the most plural one quali- The origins of contemporary tatively in the contemporary era. We Catalans, as a people associationism in Catalonia that has been mistreated by history, have a tendency to overvalue our positive traits. Although that is not exactly In Catalonia, athenaeums took over from the mediaeval true, among other reasons because no one is ever the first brotherhoods, the artisan guilds, and they became much or the best, we must nonetheless acknowledge that asso- more social in nature, a reflection of the shortcomings of ciationism has reached exceptional dimensions in Catalo- an industrial society with major social inequalities and a nia.”7 To illustrate this, we can cite the following figures. very high illiteracy rate. Therefore, the Industrial Revolu- Based on the Register of Associations of the Civil Govern- tion signalled a turning point in associationism in Catalo- ment of Catalonia, an institution which depends on the nia. When industrialisation began, culture and education central government and is in charge of controlling the le- were viewed as factors of social progress, and as long as galisation of associations, Pere Solà has tallied almost the bourgeoisie did not want to provide them, the work- 22,000 associations in the province of Barcelona over a ers themselves did. period that spans from prior to 1880 until 1966.8 This is Thus, associationism in Catalonia originally emerged an extraordinary figure, even more so if we bear in mind with a clear mission to serve the community.