The Case of the Catalans by Clara Ponsati sampler

Chapter 2 (written by Albert Carreras) provides a long-run
historical background with an overview of Catalan history
from its medieval origins up to the approval of the Catalan
Statute of Autonomy in 1979 under the Spanish Constitution.
It examines the formation of a distinct Catalan political identity
and two conflicts with Castile – in particular the 1640
Secession war and the early 18th century Succession war
that put an end to Catalan constitutions and self-government.
After Catalonia’s full absorption into Spain, these
conflicts did not disappear, even if, for a few generations,
it seemed that Catalonia and the Catalans had become
accepted as Spanish. Most of the text focuses on the century
before 1979, covering the rise of modern Catalanism as a
reaction to Spanish attempts to fully dissolve Catalan identity,
leading to what appeared in 1979 to be a lasting success
after various failed attempts to achieve self-government.
Chapter 3 (written by Antoni Abat Ninet and Carles Boix)
reviews the constitutional dispute. The decision of the Spanish
Constitutional Court in June 2010 on the statute of autonomy
of Catalonia has been widely considered as the trigger of the
current conflict. However, the disagreement was long-standing,
originating from the foundation of the constitution. Spain
has unsuccesfully attempted to reconcile its political organisation
with the national aspirations of the Basque, Catalan and
Galician peoples. We examine how the constitution addressed
the framing of territorial tensions, how the evolution of such a
territorial model led to the reform of the Statute of Autonomy
of 2006, and we explain the decision of the Constitutional
Court that dismissed this attempt at reform.
Chapter 4 (written by Enriqueta Aragonès and Jordi Muñoz)
analyses how and why independence has become the
central issue of Catalan politics. Between 2010 and 2013,
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