Territories, Identity and Europe: How have the politics of history been used in nationalist rhetoric? A case study of Scotland, Catalonia and Padania.

MA European Studies 5 Intr oduc tion Ide ntity is a c onte ste d notion, e spe c ia lly whe n use d with re fe re nc e to spe c ific te rritorie s. In the c a se of E urope , the re a re ma ny re gions whe re notions of ide ntity a re c e ntra l to na tiona list ide a ls. In the following thre e c a se studie s, the wa ys in whic h history ha s be e n use d to foste r ide ntity, pa rtic ula rly by na tiona list move me nts, will be e xa mine d. E a c h of the thre e re gions a re dispute d, both historic a lly a nd c onte mpora rily, within the ir c urre nt individua l na tion sta te s. In e a c h of the thre e c a se s, a brie f historic a l ba c kground will be ne c e ssa ry toc onte xtua lise the de ba te . In orde r to ide ntify how history ha s be e n politic ise d in the c a se studie s, we will a na lyse spe e c he s by politic ia ns a nd offic ia l doc ume nts, suc h a s a n inde pe nde nc e de c la ra tion, a n a utonomy sta tute a nd a ma nife sto. W e will a lso look a t how a c tors from the thre e na tiona l gove rnme nts ha ve re sponde d to the se move me nts a nd the possible implic a tions of inde pe nde nc e in e a c h c a se . T he first c a se study c onc e rns Sc otla nd, a nd in pa rtic ula r the c a se for Sc ottish Inde pe nde nc e a s pre se nte d by the Sc ottish Na tiona l Pa rty (SNP). B y looking a t a spe e c h give n by Ale x Sa lmond, the SNP le a de r, a s we ll a s a n SNP ma nife sto, we will be a ble to a na lyse whe the r history ha s be e n ma nipula te d or use d to the a dva nta ge of the na tiona list rhe toric in a ny wa y. W ithin this c a se study, we will a lso look to the future , a nd how the SNP ha ve both use d a nd de c line d to use history with re fe re nc e to the ir forthc oming inte ntions for both the pa rty, a nd the ir a im of Sc ottish Inde pe nde nc e . T he se c ond c a se study re la te s to C a ta lonia a nd the re c e nt de ba te s a bout a utonomy a nd inde pe nde nc e issue s. An a na lysis of a re form proposa l for the Autonomy Sta tute , a s we ll a s a spe e c h ma de by the forme r pre side nt José L uis R odrígue z Z a pa te ro re ga rding the re form proposa l will a llow for a be tte r unde rsta nding of the promine nt role of history in na tiona list de ba te s a s we ll a s tre a tme nt by na tiona l gove rnme nt. Furthe rmore , a spe e c h ma de by Jordi Pujol, the forme r le a de r of C onve rgè nc ia i Unió (C iU), C a ta lonia ’s ma in na tiona list pa rty, prompte d by the C onstitutiona l C ourt’s de c ision re ga rding the Autonomy Sta tute , will be disc usse d in orde r to re vie w how he use s history in de ba ting inde pe nde nc e . As in the c a se of Sc otla nd, a look a t the pre se nt a nd the ra mific a tions for the future will be of utmost re le va nc e , e spe c ia lly c onside ring the c urre nt situa tion in Spa in.