Geopolitical Imaginations of the Basque Homeland

Bibliographic Data

ID3948335
AuthorsJan Mansvelt Beck (0000-0002-2619-2333, University of Amsterdam, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume11
Issue3
Pages507-528
Publication date2006-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeopolitics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1465-0045 • E-ISSN: 1557-3028
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14650040600767966
OpenAlexW2131557596
LanguageEN
Citations received9

In this article the different territorial imaginations of Basqueness in Basque nationalist rhetoric and political practice are described. The seeming consensus on a greater Basque Country or Euskal Herria encompassing two administrative regions in Spain and three former provinces in France has become the hegemonic narrative at a rhetorical level. Euskal Herria as the imagined nation-state is the dominant myth compared to territorial allusions concerning the medieval Kingdom of Navarre. In contrast to the nationalist rhetoric, political practice of Basque nationalists varies according to the sub-state arenas in which they are active. Three concurrent practical goals of nationalists are discussed, namely the co-sovereignty claim for Euskadi, the demand for a separate Basque department within France and the establishment of an independent Basque state. The article addresses the following questions. Why Euskal Herria has become the winning myth to the detriment of territorial imaginations based on the mediaeval Kingdom of Navarre? Why does the political practice of Basque nationalism vary so strong according to its politico-institutional context? To what extent the geopolitical imaginations have become rooted in daily life experiences in the envisaged Basque homeland

Geopolitics · Homeland · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Basque language and culture studies · History · Law · Nationalism and Cultural Identity · Spanish History and Politics

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