The Basque Country (pdf, 4,3Mb) - Kultura Saila - Euskadi.net

3.4. The Basque diaspora
Euskal Etxeak (Basque clubs) are organisations or centres where
Basque immigrants around the world and their descendents gather
to share aspects of Basque culture. Most of the members of these
organisations feel both Basque and a citizen of their adopted
country. The majority are descendents of Basque immigrants who
left their homeland in the nineteenth century in search of a better
life, although many of them emigrated in the aftermath of the
Spanish Civil War as political exiles.
There are 161 Euskal Etxeak in 21 countries, 106 of which are
located in Latin America (Argentina has the most with 76, followed
by 10 in Uruguay and six in Venezuela), 36 in North America,10
in Spain, five in the rest of Europe, and three in Australia.
3.5. Surveys
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According to surveys, the Basque Autonomous Community is a
very plural society with a strong sense of identity. 55% of the
population feels they are Basque only or more Basque than
Spanish (as opposed to the mere 10-12% who see themselves as
Spanish only or more Spanish than Basque); the remaining 28%
consider themselves equally Basque and Spanish.
The people in Navarre share the feeling of being from Navarre
with a wider political identity, whether Spanish or Basque. In
other words, there are people in Navarre who feel either Basque,
Spanish or exclusively Navarrese. 25% of the general population
and 30% of young people feel both Basque and Navarrese.
The surveys from Iparralde paint a completely different picture:
40% feel significantly identified with Basque culture (16% feel they
are Basque only, while 24% see themselves as French-Basque).
52% feel predominantly French. Basque identity is more common
among young people (48% as opposed to 46%). Basque identity in
Iparralde is more cultural than national.
A very common practice for studying the changes that take place
in society is the use of surveys, whereby a significant number of
people are asked specific questions on a particular topic.
In Euskadi EUSTAT is the government agency in charge of statistics,
surveys and public opinion polls. There are also several other
organisations that conduct different types of surveys (Sociómetro
vasco, Euskobarómetro, etc), in addition to several so-called
observatories (Immigration Observatory, Youth Observatory, and the
more recent Culture Observatory – www.kultura.ejgv.euskadi.net).
The Lehendakari welcomes a group of dancers from the
Basque community in Boise, Idaho, USA, at the 3rd World
Congress of Basque Communities (2003).
Basque Museum in Baiona,
Lapurdi.
3.6. Identity
An awareness of cultural and political Basque identity was
developed throughout the nineteenth century in peninsular
Euskal Herria. The Basque people were already seeing themselves
as a different nation from the rest of Spain, at least in the cultural
sense.
But it was not until the twentieth century that the cultural
differences spilled over to the political arena, first in the way of
nationalism, but later – and to the present day – as a feeling of
national community shared by the majority.