Nation and democracy building in contemporary Europe: the reproduction of the Basque demos

Abstract

The article analyzes the material or objectified reproduction of the Basque demos since democracy was established in Spain in 1980. Spain holds within its territory diverse regions and political communities and the Basque case is a highly illustrative example of how the development of regional state institutions is fundamental for the reproduction of distinct democratic demoi not merely in their political but also socio-economic dimension. This paper argues that, in our current European context, political distinctions cannot become effectively objectified and instituted power structures without state institutions being able to uphold a differentiated system of stratification.

Keywords:

• Basque democracy
• nation-building
• demos reproduction

Acknowledgements

The author would like to express her thanks to the anonymous peer reviewers. Her sincerest gratitude goes to John Dunn and Mario Zubiaga for their feedback. This research has been financed by the Government of the Basque Country and developed within Ikertzaileen Prestakuntzarako Programme and the Partehartuz Consolidated Research Team (UPV-EHU).

Notes

1 This is what Hage calls ‘national capital’ (1996, 466–472) – a term we are not using in this article since one of the objectives is precisely to challenge the predominant position of certain elements such as language and cultural identity as being paramount in forming the so-called ‘national capital.’

2 For instance, the consequences for the Basque society of the interaction between ETA, the MLNV and the state's repressive apparatuses has had ambiguous effects in terms of democratization, just as Franco's dictatorship did according to Tilly (2007, 133–160). Other examples are the growing inequality in terms of income between employers and employees since 1980 (see page 28) and its consequences for equal access to resources and opportunities.

3 See Goikoetxea (2013) and the Confederal Statute of Lizarra (1931); the Statute of Autonomy (1979); and the Statute for Free Association (2004), and for all the self-government demands made by the Basque Parliament since 1980 go to http://www.parlamentovasco.euskolegebiltzarra.org/eu and http://www.parlamento.euskadi.net/pdfs_actual2/tram014_ec.pdf.

4 See http://www.eustat.es/idioma_i/indice.html#axzz2H7fcq9h1.

5 See http://www.irekia.euskadi.net/es/news/1163-ley-para-garantia-ingresos-inclusion-social.

6 See http://www.euskadi.net/r33-2288/es/ and http://www.gizartelan.ejgv.euskadi.net/r45-inclusoc/es/.

7 Gaindegia (2012, 19), http://www.basqueinfo.net/?p=306; see also http://www.zerbitzuan.net/documentos/. The Minimum Income Wage established by the Spanish government is 641 euros per month.

8 See http://stateofworkingamerica.org/subjects/overview/ and http://www.vnavarro.org/?p=8292.

9 See http://www.gizartelan.ejgv.euskadi.net/r45-trabajo/es/; http://www.siis.net/es; and Encuesta de Hogares

10 http://www.publico.es/dinero/455889/cuidadoras-de-personas-mayores-de-gipuzkoa-tumban-la-reforma-laboral.

11 http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/02/06/paisvasco/1328546683.html.