The Basque Diaspora and Basque Nationalism (Chapter 4)       Return to Unit List

The case of the Basques offers insights into two related issues in human geography. One is the historical migration of people around the world, and the linkages that those movements yield between distant communities who share a common sense of identity. The other is the nationalist movement to create an independent homeland for stateless nations.

In this unit we examine the case of the Basque diaspora around the world, and the case of Basque nationalism and the fight for an independent Basque state in the region of northern Spain and southwestern France.

First of all, explore the Basque diaspora by visiting the following sites:

 The North American Basque Organizations

What parts of the world have Basques migrated to?
Why did so many Basques leave their homeland?
Pick a few Basque clubs listed in the NABO clubs page. What common characteristics can you see in how these clubs represent Basque culture and identity?

Next, explore some of the politics of Basque nationalism and autonomy. An introduction to Basque Nationalism is provided by The Guardian. The Basque Country has an official government website, which offers a variety of information on the region, though does not overtly promote Basque independence. A more deliberate site of Basque nationalism is the Euskal Herria Journal . Clicking on "Navarre" will open a page devoted to the conflict over Basque autonomy and independence. Finally, an even more radical call for Basque nationalism can be found at the Basque Red-Net, a communist group advocating Basque independence.

One interesting thing to note is the "globalism" of the Basque nationalist movement. While it seeks to establish an independent homeland in the Basque country, Basque identity is very much associated with a global outlook. The extent of the Basque diaspora is perhaps one reason for this. Note, for instance, the graphic offered at the entry to Euskadi's Web site in which the Basque country is introduced by an image of the globe.

Similarly, if you click on "map of navarre" on the EHJ site you are greeted not by a map of the Basque country, but an image of planet Earth, with a shining light emanating from the Basque region. Is Basque nationalism about a unique Basque cultural identity rooted in a specific place, or is it about a global Basque identity that is truly international? Or is it about both? These images raise some further questions. Does the growing connectedness of the world, in which national boundaries are in some ways becoming more porous, mean that the case of Basque nationalism is increasingly viable? With the rise of European integration, are the traditional nation-states of Europe, such as Spain and France, less able to control the regionalist and separatist sentiments within and across their borders? Or does a "borderless Europe" ultimately make the cause of Basque nationalism irrelevant?


You may also want to explore the geography of the Basque country further by visiting http://www.eustat.es/ the statistical office of Euskadi (note here, too, the association of the Basque country with an international geography, conveyed by the world map background to this Web page.