Study abroad presents multiple challenges, from being in a new environment and away from family and friends, to constant exposure to the unknown. This semester, one of the most unexpected challenges was coming to an understanding over the separatist movement in the Catalonia region, especially after Catalan National Day in September. When I studied abroad in Rio de Janeiro last year, I was amazed at how there was a movement in São Paulo to become independent and separate from the rest of Brazil. Before coming to Spain, I had not realized the major cultural differences within the provinces of the country and their distinct linguistic and provincial autonomy.
In my Spanish Culture through Cinema (Cultura Española a través del Cine) course, we analyzed the impact of Franco’s dictatorship in the process of creating a unified Spain, which was accomplished through the creation of one religion, one leader, and one common language. Within the various provinces, speaking anything but Spanish was restricted. There was a movement to stop the acquisition of Catalan and Gallego in order to sever cultural and political ties that might be in conflict with the unification and creation of a single Spain. With Franco’s regime, there was an impact on linguistic transmission due to the fear of subversion and the potential of being arrested.
In my Institutions and Politics of the European Union course, I have debated and questioned the ability for a region to secede from a state and secession's legal implications within the realm of world affairs. According to many scholars, secession is an internal problem that needs to be addressed by the state, and it is the state's decision to recognize the independence of a province. Other states cannot get involved with these internal matters until the region has been given independence by its own state. Although a vote to pass the referendum took place in Barcelona, the state has the ultimate say in granting validity to the referendum. This has caused a shift in the perception of the region and bred division between the separatists and those supporting a unified state.
The Catalonia region, from the perspective of many living in Madrid, has been described as radical. In Madrid, many acknowledge the cultural and historic differences between the provinces in Spain, but they do not believe the Catalonia region could support its citizens alone. In conversations with my host parents, I have learned that they cannot fathom the idea of a province seceding when the state has provided for its people and no longer restricts them, as was the case under the Franco dictatorship. While Catalan in the Catalonia region is taught in schools as the primary language of instruction, there does not seem to be a great appreciation for the language outside of the provincial regions. In Madrid, on the other hand, it is considered to be much more valuable to learn English because it allows for more access to global opportunities. To the same effect, people in Spain’s capital city place a smaller emphasis on the acquisition of regional dialects because they are viewed as less applicable to a wider market.
Before coming abroad, I knew that I was embarking on a worldly experience, during which I would gain exposure to the culture and politics of a new country. However, I did not fully understand the extent to which I would learn of and interact with the regional debate that is currently occurring in Spain. That is to say, since moving to Madrid and hearing from its people about their mixed opinions regarding Catalonia’s movement to secede, I find myself questioning more deeply what it means to be a part of one united nation and the cultural implications it carries.
Zeke Gutierrez (SFS'19) graduated with a degree in international politics and a minor in Spanish. Gutierrez studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, for the fall 2018 semester, where he contributed to the Junior Year Abroad Network, after first blogging during his fall 2017 semester in Brazil.
