Mixed feelings: Identities and nationalisations in Catalonia and the Basque country (1980–2015)

Abstract

This article analyses the processes of nationalisation in Catalonia and the Basque Country in the period 1980–2015. It focuses on the competing narratives that Spanish, Catalan and Basque nationalists disseminated and the different ‘spheres of nationalisation’ through which individuals acquired their identities. The study combines the historical analysis of national narratives with survey data to examine the production and reproduction of identities. The research shows the limits of both state-led and substate-led nationalisations and underscores the importance of changing historical contexts in determining the social impact of national narratives.