1st Edition

Territory and Terror Conflicting Nationalisms in the Basque Country

By Jan Mansvelt Beck Copyright 2005
    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    All Basque interpretations of national power have resulted in an uneasy mix of often fragmented and conflicting territorial identifications.

    Basques can identify themselves with France, Spain or an imagined Basque nation state. Territory and Terror confronts the imagined and actual territorial dimensions of nationalism, shedding new light on the Basque conflict.

    The study provides a rich description of territoriality analysed from a comparative perspective and explores the relation between territoriality and regional differences in conflict intensity. It supplies an account of the oft-overlooked internal struggles between Basques, arguing that overestimation of Basque nationalism as the ideological force behind the conflict often leads to a disregard of the identification of many with France or Spain. In addition, the author investigates the conflicts between Basque nationalists themselves over key issues such as terrorist activity.

    Territory and Terror will appeal to students and researchers of nationalism and territoriality, in particular to those with an interest in the Basque country.

    1. Introduction  2. Nationalization from Above: France (1865-present)  3. Nationalization from above: Spain (1865-Present) 4. Euskal Herria: Rhetoric of commonness versus uncommon practice  5. The French Basques and Nationalism  6. The Spanish Basques and Nationalism  7. The Spatial Dimension of Violence: Beyond the fracture lines  8. Conflict Solutions: Past and future scenarios  9. Conclusion  10. Bibliography

    Biography

    Jan Mansvelt Beck is associate professor of geography at the University of Amsterdam. His research is focused on Spain and France and, in particular, on ethno-nationalism within these states.

    'Offers interesting insights and methodological advances in the study of Basque nationalism.' - South European Society & Politics