Multinational Democracy and Political Recognition in Spain, 1978-2010
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Multinational Democracy and Political Recognition in Spain, 1978-2010 by Sebastian Dario Baglioni A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Political Science University of Toronto © Copyright by Sebastian Dario Baglioni (2013) Multinational Democracy and Political Recognition in Spain, 1978-2010 Sebastian Dario Baglioni Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Political Science University of Toronto 2013 Abstract In this dissertation I attempt to build a bridge between normative discussions about multinational democracy and political recognition, and a contextually-sensitive empirical analysis of the Spanish case. I argue that, by looking at the characteristics and political dynamic of Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia, we can gain a better understanding of the definition, composition and viability of a multinational democracy. Combining normative discussions and a description of an empirical case (Spain) I seek to bridge both normative and empirical literatures about political recognition and multinationality highlighting the fruitful interconnections between them. In doing so, I attempt to provide adequate tools to normatively assess concrete and actual processes of political recognition in a context-sensitive manner. ii The dissertation also emphasises the possibilities (and limits) of federalism as a viable political and institutional framework to accommodate multinational demands in a democratic fashion. By looking at the Spanish case and the controversies and challenges that Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia present, I believe I offer a better understanding of political recognition. I defend a view of democracy and politics that is open by definition and is amenable to contestation and ongoing negotiations. I contend that the temptation to arrive at a “solution” as if it were a final and permanent state of affairs should be avoided; rather, the indeterminate and open-ended nature of the processes analysed should be not only tolerated but rather assessed according to the conditions and dynamic of the process of political recognition identified and discussed in my dissertation. iii Acknowledgements Throughout my studies in the PhD Programme at the University of Toronto, I have greatly benefitted from the assistance and guidance of my supervisor, Joseph Carens, and my thesis committee members Richard Simeon and Simone Chambers. I am indebted to all of them for their help and illuminating comments from beginning to end. I also like to thank the support and friendly encouragement of Susan Solomon and Neill Nevitte who, not formally involved in my dissertation, were generous enough to listen to me and engage in numerous fruitful conversations. My fellow students have been a source of continuous strength and entertainment in equal measure. They are too numerous, but specific thanks go out to Michael Painter-Main, Victor Gomez, William Flanik, Wayne Chu, Ethel Tungohan, Suzanne Hindmarch, Cheryl Auger, Reuven Shlozberg, Luc Turgeon, Steve White and Jennifer Wallner. They have all contributed to keeping me sane and a relatively well-adjusted graduate student. I am immensely grateful to Teresa Kramarz, my adoptive sister. She has been my friend, critic, and supporter. Endless hours of conversation with her showed me not only the complexities of academic life but also the tremendous value of the friendship of a fellow Argentine abroad. Finally, I want to dedicate this dissertation to my family. My mother Beatriz and my father Horacio; my sister Sandra and brother Pablo; and my niece Agustina and nephews Valentin, Santiago, Lucas and Juan Ignacio. They have always been there for me, at the distance, patiently listening to my adventures in Canada and eagerly waiting for my odd visit home. iv Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Normative Discussions around Multinational Democracies .......................................................... 8 1.1 - Politics: from National to Multinational ........................................................................... 10 1.2 - Democracy and demos in multinational contexts ............................................................ 14 1.3 - Recognition and the processes of citizenisation .............................................................. 21 1.4 - Federalism and Multinational Democracy ....................................................................... 32 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 43 The 1978 Spanish Constitution ..................................................................................................... 43 2.1 State- and Nation-Building Projects in Spanish History ...................................................... 45 2.2 - The Spanish Constitution of 1978: Nationalities and Regions.......................................... 53 2.3 - Spain, the Estado de las Autonomías and Federalism ...................................................... 63 2.4 - Federalism and Multinationality: normative bones for empirical flesh ........................... 72 Chapter 3 ....................................................................................................................................... 80 The Constitutional Court, Policy Areas and Political Identities in Spain ....................................... 80 3.1 - Constitutional Recognition ............................................................................................... 82 3.2 - Competences of the Autonomous Communities: language and education .................... 90 3.3 - Political identities: the emergence of dual identifications ............................................. 101 3.3 – Multinationality and political recognition: a preliminary assessment .......................... 111 Chapter 4 ..................................................................................................................................... 114 Possibilities of Reform of the Spanish Political System .............................................................. 114 v 4.1 - Reform of the Statute of the Basque Country ................................................................ 116 4.2 - Reform of the Statute of Catalonia ................................................................................. 139 4.3 - Galicia: between identity claims and lack of consensus................................................. 157 4.4 - The elusive consensus around Constitutional Reform ................................................... 168 Chapter 5 ..................................................................................................................................... 179 Spain, Multinational Democracy and Political Recognition. An Asssessment ............................ 179 5. 1 - Democracy and the Spanish case .................................................................................. 179 5.2 - Political Recognition and the Spanish Case .................................................................... 188 5.3 - Spain as a Multinational federal polity ........................................................................... 198 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 209 Political Recognition and the process of Citizenisation .......................................................... 211 Implications and future directions .......................................................................................... 220 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 223 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 224 vi List of Tables Table 1 - Definition of Identity of the Spanish People .............................................................. 102 Table 2 - Relative weight of Spanish and Regional identities in Spain at large ....................... 103 Table 3 - Relative weight of Spanish and Regional identities .................................................. 104 Table 4 - Relative weight of Spanish and Regional identities in Galicia .................................. 104 Table 5 - Spain Electoral Results to Central Parliament (1977-2004) ....................................... 108 vii Introduction “Free institutions are next to impossible in a country made up of different nationalities. Among a people without fellow-feeling, especially if they read and speak different languages, the united public opinion, necessary to the working of representative government, cannot exist”. (John Stuart Mill, Considerations on Representative Government, 1861). Democracy in a multinational context is a thorny issue for theorists, politicians and citizens alike. This is so because of the complexity of the issues at stake, which includes the definition of the demos and different sets of political institutions, social attitudes and citizenship practices in everyday life contexts. For theorists, the idea of multinational democracy