W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 5-2015 Understanding Secession: An Analysis of the 2012-2014 Debates on Independence in Scotland and Catalonia Lucas A. Leblanc Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the Applied Linguistics Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, International Relations Commons, and the Spanish Linguistics Commons Recommended Citation Leblanc, Lucas A., "Understanding Secession: An Analysis of the 2012-2014 Debates on Independence in Scotland and Catalonia" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 208. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/208 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ! ! Abstract In 2014, the regions of Scotland and Catalonia voted on independence from their larger states, the United Kingdom and Spain. The period preceding these votes was filled with tense political discussion on a variety of topics ranging from the role of the EU to considerations over social welfare. This thesis presents a cross-regional study of the discussions on the issue of independence that occurred in the years leading up to these historically unique votes. To do this, the paper was inspired by discourse analysis methodology to perform a quantitative test on independence-leaning newspapers from each region. This method traced the recurrence of multiple themes to see if a differences emerged based around the divergent histories, traditions, and local contexts of each region. Although a degree of difference was observed between the two debates, the data indicated unique regional-national ways of referring to independence were more based around circumstantial factors as opposed to deeper identities. 2 ! ! ! Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 4 I. Introduction 5 II. Literature Review 8 III. Theory 11 IV. Methodology 21 V. Results and Findings 30 VI. Conclusion 62 VII. Bibliography 66 VIII. Appendix 69 3 ! ! ! Acknowledgements Several people were key to the completion of this honors thesis. I would first like to extend a huge thank you to my adviser, Dr. van der Veen, whose advice, availability, and expert pointers ensured my project stayed on track and evolved in interesting directions. Being involved in research with him these past four years has been a foundational part of my experience here at The College. I would like to thank Dr. Clemens and Dr. Greenia, the other members of my committee, for also being incredibly supportive not only of this project but throughout my time at William & Mary in my various academic and intellectual pursuits. I would like to thank Lisa Grimes, Sarah Adams, and the rest of the Charles Center staff for the opportunity to pursue this project as a fully funded fellow and give me the opportunity to witness Scotland's independence vote in person. I would like extend a big thank you to Everette Larson and the rest of the staff at the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress who provided me with the best research materials and advice I could dream of. I thank Professor Rapoport, whose constant availability and support for thesis students is not soon to be forgotten. I would like to thank my Catalan friends Cristina Torrent and Miquel Strubell for supporting my unforgettable research experience in Catalonia in 2013, the initial inspiration for this project. I would like to thank my close friends Andrea Blažanović, Nicole Fitchet, Gustavo Guerrero, Davis Richardson, and Emma Rodvien for each providing me with support in their own ways during different phases of this project. I would like to thank all of you, from friends and family to acquaintances and fellow airline passengers who had the misfortune of being seated next to me, for being engaged and supportive of my interests in Europe's independence movements. Finally, and definitely not lastly, I would like to thank my parents, Paola and Hugues, for serving as the biggest inspirational figures in my life. Without them, this project would not have become the reality it is today. 4 ! ! ! I. National Questions: from Edinburgh to Barcelona The borders of Western Europe are being put into serious question for the first time in decades, this time not from war, a collapsing Soviet bloc, or rapid European integration, but from growing calls for self"determination by Scotland and Catalonia, stateless nations in the United Kingdom and Spain. Since the early 2010s, parties calling for independence have dominated the political scene in these regions. In Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won the largest group of seats in the 2007 elections to the Scottish parliament, promising a referendum on the region's independence from the United Kingdom. In 2011, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond renewed those pledges in a new election which reaffirmed the SNP's mandate. On November 14, 2013 the Scottish Parliament passed the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill which paved the way for the region's historic vote on September 18th, 2014. After much debate and polls showing a tight race, Scotland's people voted with a 45% No and a 55% Yes vote to remain in the United Kingdom. Although the result affirmed Scotland's continued union with the UK, the effects of this referendum had a profound impact on Scottish and UK politics. Meanwhile, on September 11th, 2012 an unprecedented 1.5 million people marched through the streets of Barcelona in a rally calling for Catalan secession from Spain.1 Two months later, on November 15th, an election gave independence-leaning forces a majority in the regional parliament of Catalonia for the first time in its history. A month after that vote, the two leading parties signed a governmental agreement which promised a referendum on independence from Spain on November, 9th 2014. Their attempts to hold an official or unofficial referendum were eventually struck down by Spain's Constitutional Court in October 2014. Nonetheless, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Stephen Burgen, "Catalan independence rally brings Barcelona to a standstill," The Guardian, Tuesday September 11, 2012, accessed April 27, 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/sep/11/catalan-independence-rally- barcelona. 5 ! ! ! Catalonia's governing parties and several large civil society groups pushed through an unofficial consultation in the region on November 9th, 2014. 88% of votes cast during the November 2014 unofficial vote were cast in favor of Catalan independence, although the turnout was lower compared to the official vote that occurred in Scotland.2 Although the future of these movements is uncertain, the autumn of 2014 demonstrated to political leaders and the European public that votes on self-determination by culturally distinct regions are an important part of the European landscape of today. Motivation After a successful research project on the Catalan independence movement in the summer of 2012 left me with a new interest in regional issues, I became motivated to pursue an honors thesis that would bring in more of Europe's regions. Noticing the upcoming referenda in both Catalonia and Scotland in 2014, I saw an ideal opportunity to design a project which would let me approach the referenda as a comparison to better understand how and why calls for independence are similar or different across borders. I also noticed that little is said in the mainstream US media about these movements compared to other issues. In an age in which regional minorities have attained a greater voice, it is crucial that we understand what mechanisms are at work in stateless nations in order to understand how best to accommodate their grievances or understand them as new states in our international community.3 As we witness two of Europe's most active regionalist movements gather the momentum to push for a referendum, students and scholars of political science must not miss the opportunity to further explore these unique situations. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 "Results of the participation process," Generalitat de Catalunya, accessed May 06, 2015, http://www.participa2014.cat/resultats/dades/en/escr-tot.html. 3 "Nation" defined in section III, defining key concepts subsection.!! 6 ! ! ! Research Questions My thesis will investigate similarities and differences that exist in the way Scots and Catalans refer to the issue of independence. I analyze what factors shape uniquely (sub-) national mentalities on independence. To do this, my thesis seeks to answer two questions: In what ways do pro-independence factions in a region refer to the issue of independence? How can a comparison lead us to better understand how a region refers to independence and its many related issues uniquely? 7 ! ! ! II. Literature Review ! In literature related to regional issues, some scholars approach their analyses with a focus on the supra-national, national, or regional-level, others are more attentive to electoral politics and voting behavior, while yet a newer set has opted for discourse analysis. I will briefly review relevant works in these fields to situate my research. Fitjar asserts that "culture-based explanations" have been considered a chief factor in many analyses of regional sentiment.4 He adds that economic factors,