Cultural Identity And Autonomous Regions Within The European Union

The Basque region is in the northern part of Spain and Southern France. The Basque language is completely different from any other language. Neither the language nor physical characteristics of the people are comparable to any other culture, and not similar to French or Spanish. The Basque people are mostly in Northern Spain and therefore are perceived for the most part, as a part of Spain. In 1492 when the Catholic monarchies led the conquest of Spain, they found that the Basque had a completely separate culture from the Spanish. Because of this they allowed them political autonomy and rights to protect their culture. In 1876 the Spanish government abolished these. This was the start of the Basque Nationalist Party, whose goal was to preserve the rights of the Basque people. Because the Spanish took their rights away, it created negativity between them starting in the 1800’s. Then in 1939 Francisco Franco came to power in Spain. Under Franco, the Basque people suffered great losses of their rights. They were banned from the use of their language and other cultural practices. While Franco was in power the new Basque nationalist group was formed. University students founded the ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna) in 1959. ETA stands for Basque fatherland and liberty. These students did not believe that the Basque Nationalist party was doing enough. They saw their people suffering under Franco and wanted more to be done. They started by using small amounts of violence to get the

Addressing some issues, the European Union decided to issue 750 million Euros in order to start the process of financial stability for the whole union (Mckee 524). Over time, the union learned that that the amount of money was not enough in order to help each countries’ individual financial crisis. As of now, the union has to increase the amount of money they are feeding to countries in hopes of fixing the economic issues. The continuing issue with the European Union’s economic plans is finding the money to keep funding countries with low economic growth. Furthermore, the union also has to figure out how to deal with the issues that are outside of the European Union’s borders. In

There is a Mexican man that enters with the rest of his family. They eat beans, rice, flour tortillas and etc. The family does there every day routine, the dad wakes up at six- thirty to go to work in his truck. The children go to school and the mother stays at home. The things a person does in their all has a reason which goes all back to culture. Culture is what makes up everyone different from one another. Texts such as “What is Cultural Identity?”, “Where Worlds Collide” and “Two ways to Belong” supports that depending on one’s culture it effects one perspective on the world and others.

A section on the north east of Spain known as Catalonia has been wanting to become independent and have their own country. Catalonia has its own government and is a wealthy region that pays more taxes to Spain than it gets back from the Government.

Independence is something being fought for in many countries today. Hen autonomy is no longer enough to preserve and protect countries seek to separate themselves. Both Catalonia and Scotland have some rights to have autonomy, but are seeking to separate from their larger nations to better serve the needs of their people and preserve their culture. “Catalonia has been granted a great deal of control over its own affairs, including transportation, commerce, culture and safety” (Knowledge). Although this may be the case Catalonia is financially dependent on Spain and does not have the legal right to completely self-govern, set their own taxes, etc. Similarly, Scotland is also dependent on the United Kingdom. With both nations having thier own

It may have begun in the late 1800s to early 1900s and become strong in Picasso’s time, but it still runs deep for the locals. But, a major difference from Picasso’s Barcelona is that Catalan nationalism is not necessarily used for resistance as much; there are no “lines drawn between Catalan nationalist[s]” (Kaplan 8) and the others. It seems, to me, to be more like Catalan pride because I have seen the Catalan flag dangling from balconies all over the city. Similar to Picasso’s Barcelona, the Catalan language plays an important role in Barcelona’s culture. Today, I encounter people speaking Spanish; however, most things are written in three languages: Catalan, Spanish, and English (in that order). The nationalism may not be as severe as it was during Picasso’s Barcelona, but it still

The Basque Region is amidst tensions because of its border, which is between the countries of France and Spain. The Basque National Liberation Movement also plays a role in the political boundary because it includes social and political groups that are based around armed organizations that are illegal. The main group within the Basque National Liberation Movement is the ETA, an Armed Basque Nationalist group. The ETA is the most important member of the Basque conflict, and is also accountable for the hundreds of deaths, injuries, and kidnappings that occurred.

In the modern European Union, lies an ancient culture and language unrelated to the dominant cultures around it. These are the Basques who have struggled to retain their customs through invasions and cultural repression. The territory which they call home is a small but powerful force within Spain. Spanish ideologies exerted upon them in recent memory have put a damper on Basque cultural practices and language, but out of this came Basque nationalism. The means used by Basque nationalists to gain independence are sometimes questionable and violent, and have had an impact on the economic health of the region. The Basque Country gained autonomy in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, but many feel that autonomy doesn’t go far enough.

Ethnic identity much like racial identity is difficult to clearly discern and delineate. As a social construct, it is an umbrella term that mark a group affiliation to a common origin, culture, religion, or geography; it consists of shared traditions, behaviors, values and beliefs. (Waters, 1990) Outlining the elements and components of ethnic identity, Phinney and Ong (2007) stress its multidimensionality and dynamism, it encompasses several cultural, linguistic, behavioral features as well as being developmental and involving a shifting process. They consider self-categorization, commitment, and sense of attachment to the group as vital constituents of ethnic identity. They show that “the process of ethnic identity formation involves the construction over time of one’s sense of self as a group member and of one’s attitudes and understandings associated with group membership” (2007, p. 275) Exploration and commitment are the two head titles in the revised model to measure the formation of identity across different groups (MEIM-R, Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure). The model proposes a set of questions that capture the individual’s overall knowledge, understanding, engagement, sense of belonging and attachment to the social group.

This paper will analyze process of identify formation through social institutions, and popular culture, and how it differs between French Basques and Spanish Basques. This paper will also analyze a third group of Basques, Basque Americans, and how their process of identity formation has been uniquely shaped by the Basque diaspora and American culture.

In “Negotiating Spain and Catalonia: Competing Narratives of National Identity,” author Fernando Leon Solis examines the various motivational factors for Catalonia’s push for autonomy within Spain. The author makes a compelling case as to how and why Catalonia is attempting to gain autonomy. Solis believes that the main motivation for Catalonian autonomy is the conflict over the definition of Catalan identity, which, Catalans believe, can only fully be established under regional autonomy. Solis argues that if the Catalan National political party, Convergencia I Unio, can come to an agreement with the majority party in parliament, Partido Popular, then Catalonia may receive regional autonomy. Additionally, Solis believes that the Catalans are not seeking national independence, but rather they wish for a high level of autonomy within Spain. It is important to

Catalonia was an independent region of the Iberian Peninsula – modern day Spain and Portugal – with its own language, laws and customs.

Catalonia as a nation was officially born on 1258, when the Frankish king, who until then had the control over the region, recognized their independence. Since then Catalonia became an independent nation from the Iberian Peninsula (actual Spain and Portugal). It had its own language, laws, and traditions. The freedom did not last long, when in 1714 the Spanish army, leaded by King Philip V, in the War of Succession, defeated Catalonia. With the Spanish army defeating Valencia, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands, the end of this war resulted in the consolidation of the modern day Spain (Traugott, n.d.).

A national identity for all nation states has become increasingly more difficult to define in the last 20 years. With the rise of technology and globalisation the European Union has been increasingly beneficial (not without its faults) for the countries within it. Especially when it comes to trade and freedom of movement in an area less than 100 years ago was ravaged with war. Brexit should have been a question of the UK’s position in the European union and the world. However, it caused a deep division around immigration and multiculturalism across class, age, socio-economic status and ethnic background. Timothy Oliver firmly believes that the UK need to fix its “identity crisis” before Brexit negotiations, whilst subtly suggesting that Brexit was a bad idea in the first place.

Cultural identity is the basis in which identification is used to express different aspects pertaining to identity and heritage. A person's cultural identity may be created by social organization, as well as traditions and customs within their lives. The two aspects that construct my cultural identity are the frequent chores I must complete every day in order to fulfill my behavioral expectations, and the youth group I attend weekly. These aspects are important to my family and me. Therefore, my identity has an immeasurable effect on my upbringing into this multi-cultural world I live in.