Lesson Report:
# **Lesson Report: Ethno-Nationalism in Practice – Comparing Catalonia and the Basque Country**
### **Synopsis:**
In this session, students examined ethno-nationalism through theoretical frameworks and applied these to real-world cases. The class began with a student presentation reviewing the week’s readings on political and economic explanations of ethno-national movements, followed by a discussion comparing two scholarly perspectives. The main activity involved analyzing two case studies—Catalonia and the Basque Country—through documentary footage and theoretical application, encouraging students to evaluate political mobilization, identity formation, and internal conflicts within these movements.
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### **Attendance:**
– No explicit mentions of absences in the transcript.
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### **Topics Covered:**
#### **1. Student Presentation on Ethno-Nationalism Theories**
– **Overview of Andrei Duboisky’s Work:**
– Ethno-nationalism defined as an ethnic group seeking self-government.
– Traditional cultural/social-economic explanations fail to account for timing of ethno-national movements.
– Political elites play a central role in shaping and provoking nationalism for their own interests (example: Catalonia).
– **Overview of Nikolsky’s Work:**
– Focuses on political actors constructing and mobilizing ethnic identities in response to deindustrialization.
– Economic transformations weaken class divisions, replacing them with ethnic divisions, strengthening ethno-nationalist sentiment.
– The higher the previous industrialization, the stronger subsequent ethno-nationalism.
– **Comparing the Theories:**
– Both scholars critique earlier cultural/social-economic explanations.
– Duboisky emphasizes elite-driven mobilization, while Nikolsky highlights economic decline as a catalyst.
– Discussion on whether the theories could complement each other rather than being contradictory.
#### **2. Framing the Case Studies – Purpose of Political Science Theories**
– Theories help explain why movements arise but also aim to predict outcomes.
– Comparison of **Catalonia and Basque Country independence movements** under nearly identical national conditions.
– Central question: Why did these two movements result in drastically different outcomes—one largely peaceful, the other violent?
#### **3. Documentary Analysis – Catalonia**
– Students watched a DW documentary on the Catalonia independence movement.
– Key elements for analysis (per Lacour’s framework):
1. **Identity Formation:**
– Shared language, traditions (e.g., human towers), symbolic history (e.g., Franco-era oppression).
– Cultural movements reinforcing Catalan identity (e.g., language policies, prohibited traditions revived post-dictatorship).
2. **Interest Definition:**
– Economic grievances (Catalonia as an economic powerhouse not receiving proportional benefits).
– Political grievances against Madrid’s suppression of Catalan autonomy.
– Calls for a referendum and sovereignty.
3. **Political Mobilization:**
– Role of Catalan politicians (e.g., Puigdemont) in advocating independence.
– Madrid’s suppression of the 2017 referendum, escalating tensions.
– Divergent public opinions—separatists vs. Spanish national unity advocates.
– Lack of broad mobilization or sustained unity prevented independence success.
#### **4. Documentary Analysis – Basque Country**
– Students viewed a DW documentary on the Basque Country independence movement and ETA’s violent past.
– Key questions for discussion:
1. **Identity Formation:**
– Basque language as a key divider from Spanish identity.
– Strong regional identity despite geographic closeness to Catalonia.
2. **Interest Definition:**
– Initial demands for independence, but later focused on addressing grievances of ETA prisoners and their families.
– Widespread impact of ETA’s violent tactics, leading to different public perception compared to Catalan movement.
3. **Political Mobilization:**
– ETA as primary mobilizing force for most of the 20th century.
– Madrid’s suppression and imprisonment policies aimed at weakening movement.
– Contrast with Catalonia, where movement was led by politicians rather than paramilitary groups.
#### **5. Comparative Discussion and Theoretical Application**
– Students compared the two movements using the Lacour framework.
– Consideration of why the Catalan movement remained largely peaceful while ETA engaged in violence.
– Hypothesis: Political elites in Catalonia followed a legalist, diplomatic strategy, whereas historical grievances in the Basque Country led to militant mobilization.
– Additional discussion on linguistic divides (Catalan is similar to Spanish, Basque language is completely distinct) and their role in ethno-national identity formation.
– Final reflection on documentary framing—Catalonia’s struggle depicted as ongoing and rooted in cultural/political identity, while the Basque film focused largely on past violence and its aftermath.
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### **Actionable Items:**
#### **For Next Class:**
– **Reading Assignment:** Walker Kahn’s work (students encouraged to prepare discussion points).
– **Follow-Up Discussion:**
– Re-examine the two documentaries with Lacour’s three components in mind.
– More in-depth discussion on documentary framing—how does media representation shape the perception of ethno-nationalist movements?
#### **Course Platform Updates:**
– Students can rewatch both documentaries on the course’s e-learning platform under Week 11.
#### **General Class Notes:**
– Ensure students understand both complementary and opposing aspects of the two main theorists covered in the presentation.
– Reassess class engagement—encourage students to come prepared with case-specific examples in future discussions.
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This report provides a structured record of the session, allowing the instructor to track course progression and prepare for subsequent discussions. Let me know if you need any modifications!
Homework Instructions:
NO HOMEWORK.
No explicit homework assignment was given during the lesson. The professor mentioned a reading from Walker Kahn for next week and referenced the videos being available on eCourse, but no specific instructions were provided for an assignment related to these materials.