Mirroring persistent rival discourses in Spain. What do large-scale mobilizations tell us about the country’s main political cleavage?

Abstract

This article analyses the most prominent mobilizations led by civil society organizations, activist networks, and parties in Spain from 1996 to 2020. The article examines 235 large-scale mobilizations to explore how civil society actors have shaped and reflected persistent sociopolitical cleavages. Using protest event analysis and a CHAID-based classification model, it identifies terrorism and nationalism as key recurring issues. These mobilizations reveal long-term tensions rooted in Spain’s democratic transition, with victims’ associations, the 15M/Indignados movement, and Catalan secessionism illustrating the evolution of civic culture and civil institutions. Since the end of ETA terrorism in 2011, nationalist claims have sustained a polarised public sphere, exposing the enduring cleavage around Spain’s constitutional national identity.