Description
The Origins of Basque Nationalism is the authoritative text regarding the foundation and early years of the Basque ethnonationalist movement in its modern guise, from 1876 through 1904. The book is so comprehensive and definitive that it has virtually obviated the need for additional research on this phase of the movement. The author has updated his original text, published in Spanish in 1979, with previously unpublished comments, making this translation a second edition as well. In The Origins of Basque Nationalism, Javier Corcuera Atienza effectively merges biography, social history, and intellectual history into a complex, nuanced study. While most American scholars writing about Basque politics ignore the creative features of Basque nationalism, Corcuera carefully differentiates and juxtaposes various types of Basque nationalist and regional thinking, and, thus, its broad appeal. The author’s detailed, dynamic approach rounds out our too often static vision of the nationalists’ programs and goals. His work prevents us from dismissing nationalism and nationalists with a few vague and simple-minded phrases about “separatism” and “separatists”. Furthermore, the author takes the time to locate Basque nationalism within the broader European intellectual and social needs of the late nineteenth century. This is an historical case study addressing broader themes of industrialization, modernization, and the appearance of “the social question” — modern class conflict.
