THE PERSISTENT CATALAN-SPANISH TURMOIL: A GEOPOLITICAL READING OF THE FIRST WEEKS OF THE COVID-19 CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN CATALONIA AND SPAIN

abstract

Critical geopolitics conceives of the internal organization of the state as a relevant geopolitical subfield. In this context, this paper aims to develop a geopolitical interpretation of the covid-19 crisis management in Catalonia and Spain from March 2020 to mid-April 2020. The paper begins by providing an overview of internal geopolitics literature by Spanish geographers, focusing on the Catalonia/Spain conflict, followed by a thorough analysis of written and oral materials compiled for that purpose. Three discursive periods are identified: up until the declaration of the State of Alarm in mid-March 2020, the first two weeks with this in force, and the first half of April 2020. The paper evinces that the examined materials support contested visions about the distribution of territorial powers within Spain, while also unearthing some specificities that ultimately relate to the Catalan national question.

Keywords::

• geopolitics
• nation-state
• devolution
• Catalonia/Spain
• COVID-19

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge Prof. David Kaplan for the opportunity given to publish this paper. We are much grateful for the comments and suggestions made by the three anonymous referees, which have helped us to greatly improve our submission. The authors would also like to thank Carmel Sherrington, Prof. Laura Lojo, and Assoc. Prof. Jorge Sacido for their hard work editing the different versions of this paper. We also acknowledge Roberto Vila for his support producing the figure. The customary disclaimers apply. This paper was written during harsh weeks in the midst of a lockdown, which resulted in much pain, apprehension, and panic everywhere. During that time, one of our closest relatives passed away alone in a hospital in Madrid due to covid-19: may she rest in peace.

Notes

¹ Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly said that ‘the virus does not care about territories’, allegedly referring to territorial demarcations and authorities or, more precisely in this context, autonomous communities. In Latin languages ‘territory’ has a broader meaning than in English. Hence, a more accurate translation into English could be ‘the virus does not care about borders’.

² All translations, including this one, are ours.

³ For a specific discussion on this type of meeting, commonly known as the ‘Meeting of Presidents’, see the last section of this paper.

⁴ A sub-region covering four municipalities in Central Catalonia, with 66,048 inhabitants (2019).

⁵ Only in the Basque Country and Catalonia do their own respective police substitute the Spanish police.

⁶ In 1714 the siege of Barcelona ended, the most decisive battle of the War of Spanish Succession. Afterward, the King of Spain abolished the Catalan institutions and set a centralized Spanish kingdom.