Thursday 6 November 2014
Passion, Pride and Counterpower: Civil Pro-Independence Groups in Catalonia
Speaker: Prof. Kathryn Crameri (Univ. Glasgow)
Chair: Prof. Paul Preston
Time: 18 h.
Place: LSE, Portugal Street, Cowdray House, 1st floor, Seminar Room 1.11
The multidimensionality of power networks and ‘the rise of the interactive production of meaning’ (Castells, 2009) give civil associations an immense potential for influence, especially when – like the Assemblea Nacional Catalana – they are able to create a flexible organizational structure that allows for effective action at a variety of scales. However, the exercise of counterpower by the civil movement is still constrained by the institutional power of the Catalan political parties. This interdependence requires us to question prevailing generalizations about the relationship between ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ pressure for independence in the Catalan context, and makes an interesting comparison with Scotland, where an apparently ‘top-down’ movement shifted unexpectedly towards the grassroots in the final stages of campaigning.
Within this context, Prof. Kathryn Crameri’s paper explored the role of civil associations in pushing forward the pro-independence agenda in Catalonia since the first debates on the new Statute of Autonomy took place in 2005. Her presentation drew both on recent theory on the role of the internet and new media in facilitating the work of social movement organizations, and Manuel Castells’ concept of ‘communication power’.
To begin with, Prof. Crameri discussed various examples of civic action currently taking place across Catalonia by pro-independence groups. She emphasized how technology is enabling the organisation of these often innovative cultural events, including flash mobs, concerts and ‘lip-dubs’, which require the mass organisation of a population. With these examples Prof. Crameri underlined the differences between civic action in Catalonia and the recent events of Scotland’s ‘yes’ campaign, despite the comparison that is often drawn between them.
Prof. Kathryn Crameri
Prof. Crameri went on to outline her disagreement with the traditional ’top-down, bottom-up’ dichotomy in political theory, instead arguing the case for ’co-construction’, referencing other work that has been carried out on civil society organisations by Monica Threlfall. She claimed that this distinction is problematic as the relationship between political powers and civic groups is in fact multi-dimensional, pointing out that some members of ‘grass-roots’ organisations are also members of the cultural elite who hold influence in the political sphere.
Prof. Crameri also analysed the significance of social media in Catalonia’s call for independence. She highlighted that for many, interaction via social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook creates the sensation of participating in the movement without being an ‘activist’, using the Assemblea Nacional Catalana as an example of this trend. This group, among many other activities, have created dynamic online spaces for people to engage in after their events have taken place.
This session ended with a discussion between members of the audience and the speaker, where Prof. Crameri used research taken from her recent publication ‘Goodbye Spain?’ The Question of Independence for Catalonia (Sussex Academic Press/ Catalan Observatory, 2014) to give more contextual information on the recent surge in Catalonia’s pro-independence movement. Prof. Crameri suggested that the results of the recent ‘informal’ vote for independence would be symbolical but resisted the temptation to predict what would happen next in Catalonia’s call for independence.
Front cover of Prof. Crameri's recent publication
Prof. Kathryn Crameri completed her PhD at Clare College, Cambridge, before taking up a lectureship at Lancaster University. She then moved to the Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Sydney. She is now Stevenson Chair of Hispanic Studies and Head of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow. Her publications include: Language, The Novelist and National Identity in Post-Franco Catalonia (Legenda, 2000); Catalonia: National Identity and Cultural Policy 1980-2003 (University of Wales Press, 2008); ‘Goodbye, Spain?’ The Question of Independence for Catalonia (Sussex Academic Press, 2014).