Non-State Nationalism Within the European Union
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Non-State Nationalism within the European Union - a case study of nationalism in Catalonia and Scotland, and its relation to the debate on the future of nationalism within the European Union Peter Olesen, CCG Aalborg University June 2008 Non-State Nationalism within the European Union a case study of nationalism in Catalonia and Scotland, and its relation to the debate on the future of nationalism within the European Union 174,744 characters 72.8 pages Supervisor: Henrik Halkier Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................6 2. Literature review...............................................................................................................11 3. Theory...............................................................................................................................21 3.1 Nations and states.......................................................................................................21 3.2 Nationalism.................................................................................................................24 3.3 Ethnic and civic nationalism......................................................................................25 4. Analysis.............................................................................................................................29 4.1 Catalonia.....................................................................................................................29 4.1.1 Catalonia’s Political History...............................................................................29 4.1.2 Catalan Nationalism............................................................................................30 4.1.3 Civic and Ethnic Nationalism within Catalan Nationalism................................32 4.1.4 Catalan Nationalism and the European Union....................................................35 4.1.5 Catalan Nationalism and the Debate on the Future of Nationalism...................38 4.2 Scotland......................................................................................................................45 4.2.1 Scotland’s Political History................................................................................45 4.2.2 Scottish Nationalism...........................................................................................48 4.2.3 Civic and Ethnic Nationalism within Scottish Nationalism...............................50 4.2.4 Scottish Nationalism and the European Union...................................................53 4.2.5 Scottish Nationalism and the Debate on the Future of Nationalism...................56 5. Discussion.........................................................................................................................63 5.1 Comparison of Scottish and Catalan Nationalism......................................................63 5.2 The Future of Nationalism within the European Union.............................................73 6. Conclusion.........................................................................................................................79 Bibliography..........................................................................................................................82 Abstract The main purpose of this thesis was to examine how two cases of non-state nationalism – nationalism within stateless nations – within the European Union related to the overall debate regarding the future of nationalism. The objects chosen for analysis were Catalonia and Scotland as they seemed to be good examples of clearly definable nations that existed within a member-state of the European Union. The debate on the future of nationalism within the European Union seemed to be divided into three theoretical perspectives. First, there were the postnationalists who argued that states, nations, and nationalism within the European Union had played out their role. Instead, they argued, we were moving towards a postnational Europe, where the need to build one’s identity on a territorial belonging was no longer necessary. This perspective was criticised by the other two perspectives within this debate. The most severe critics claimed that the roles of the nation and the state had not changed, and that postnationalism had little foundation in reality. The more balanced critics instead argued that there was no empirical evidence that supported either of the other two perspectives in the debate, and that it was not, as yet, possible to predict the future of nationalism within the European Union. The scholars who supported this perspective argued that the role of the nations and the states had indeed changed, but that there was no evidence of a postnational Europe developing. From the analysis of the two cases, it seemed that they produced little evidence to support either of the two extremes in the debate on the future of nationalism. Both Catalan and Scottish nationalism were found to have evolved from traditional nationalism in that they no longer strived to establish their own states, while there in both cases also were evidence that Catalan and Scottish identities were still as important as ever to the people of these stateless nations, providing no indication of a postnational society developing. Both nationalisms, overall, supported membership and increased importance of the European Union. The Catalan nationalists and the more moderate Scottish nationalists 4 both supported membership of the European Union through a continued belonging to Spain and the UK, respectively, while the more radical Scottish nationalists supported the creation of a Scottish state within the European Union. Both Catalan and Scottish nationalism were claimed to be of an open nature towards outsiders, presumably indicating a civic nationalism. However, through the analysis, it became apparent that membership of these two nations were in fact divided into two categories - basic and full membership – and that the openness was mostly attributed to the basic membership, while to be accepted as a full member it was necessary to understand and embrace the ethnic characteristics of these nationalisms. The two cases studies, then, supported the argument of the more balanced critics of postnationalism that there is no evidence that nationalism within the European Union, with its current political framework, is disappearing in favour of a postnational Europe. However, what the case studies did indicate was a growing understanding and acceptance between the different nationalisms within the European Union, but that the national identities within these nationalism showed no signs of becoming less important to the people of Europe. 5 1. Introduction In the era of globalisation, it appears that the borders between states are becoming increasingly diluted. Many issues such as trade, politics, the environment, just to name a few, are no longer seen in a national perspective; they are now international, perhaps even global, issues. Today, states cooperate much more than they used to and have thereby created some sort of interdependence. If we look at it from a European perspective, the creation and development of the European Union is a clear indication of this interdependence. The member-states are gradually deciding more and more issues on a European level than within the states themselves. As the participating member-states grow ever closer financially and politically, what implications does this have on the relationship between the people living in these states? Are the cultural differences between the people in the European Union also becoming more diluted meaning that the feeling of belonging to a state or nation is being replaced with a sense of being European instead? Some scholars argue that it seems to be a tendency that national identity is becoming less important to the people of Europe and instead each person belongs to a number of different groups and communities that transcend the physical borders between the member-states. This means that each individual is able to pick and choose from a multitude of options in order to create his or her own identity. This ability has meant that the sense of belonging to a state or nation is just one option alongside many others. This theory seems to indicate that traditional nationalism is disappearing and that it is instead being replaced by what these scholars call postnationalism where each individual can build his or her own identity regardless of place of birth. However, if traditional nationalism is disappearing, then why is it that various stateless nations in Europe are still fighting for more independence? Why is there large groups of people in e.g. Scotland and Catalonia that still today are doing all they can to break free from the United Kingdom and Spain respectively. Surely, if each individual can build his own identity regardless of nationality, then it would be less crucial to establish an independent state, as it would have little effect on the lives of each 6 individual. Other scholars believe that the importance of nations and nationalism should not yet be disregarded. These critics seem to believe that the postnationalist theorists have been premature in rejecting the need for nations and nationalism. It is the purpose of this thesis to investigate