Originally published in Spanish: «Cataluña: El asalto al lenguaje». Manuel Arias Maldonado. Revista de Libros. It is well known that barely two years after the defeat of Nazism, the German philologist Viktor Klemperer published a remarkably important book, titled LTI. Notizbuch eines Philologen, documenting, from the author’s daily notes since Hitler came to power, which […]
Categoría: In English
Fiscal nationalism and the social democrat discourse
Originally published in Spanish. Luis Abenza. Politikon. As the conflict with Catalonia advances and solutions come into view, if there are any to come, it will be important that the debate stops revolving around abstract realities, such as the right to decide, and begins to be focused on concrete solutions like what kind of self-government […]
We forget about the force
Originally published in Spanish. Jorge Galindo. El País. We have got used to political rivalry being a purely dialectic conflict. This is actually fantastic news. It means that one of the basic premises for a stable democracy was fulfilled, at least until now: that the use of force is out of the debate because it […]
The Little Loves and «El Procés»
Originally published in Spanish: “Los pequeños amores y el procés» Juan Claudio de Ramón. The Objective. The Barcelonian journalist Pablo Mediavilla Costa published some days ago, regarding the Catalan independence process, something I found both sad and moving: “Lucky all of you that didn’t have to witness the fall into the folly of someone loved […]
A Catalan Cultural Autobiography: The End of a Hegemony that seemed Indestructible
Originally published in Spanish: “Autobiografía cultural catalana: El fin de una hegemonía que parecía indestructible”. Ramón González Férriz. El Confidencial. In my formative years in Catalonia —the 80’s and 90’s— a cultural hegemony apparently indestructible reigned. It was the result of an unstable yet functional coalition between nationalism and progressivism. Nationalism was committed to ensure […]
Paranormal Phenomena
Originally published in Spanish: “Fenómenos Paranormales”. Eduardo Jordá. La Opinión de Málaga. Here is a phenomenon to be studied in the future by psychologists and social scientists (and perhaps also by researchers specializing in paranormal phenomena): How is it possible that thousands upon thousands of high-cultured people —university professors, lawyers, engineers, architects, poets, economists— came […]
A Sick Society
Originally published in Spanish: “Una socieadad enferma”. Joaquim Coll. Crónica Global. Let me be clear: a large part of Catalan society is politically sick. It includes many educated people, well paid, and even successful professionals. It is the secessionist passion aptly described by the psychiatrist Adolph Tobeña in his book. People who, instead of demanding […]
Spain 155
Originally published in Spanish: “España 155”. Manuel Arias Maldonado. The Objective. We have had some time to reflect on the unprecedented measure adopted by the Spanish government to invoke Article 155 of the constitution —after all, there is always a first time in life. But, whatever comes out from the Catalan Parliament, its enforcement will […]
The Truth of Lies
Originally published in Spanish: “La verdad de las mentiras”. Ferran Toutain. Blog. Catalan: “La veritat de les mentides”. Ferran Toutain. El País. In Voltaire contre-attaque, the essay by the French thinker André Glucksmann published in 2014, one year before his death, our era is described as “the anarchy of knowledges and opinions”. The problem is […]
Who destroyed the self-government of Catalonia (and who didn’t)
Originally published in Spanish: “Quién destruyó la autonomía de Cataluña (y quién no)”. Ricardo de Querol. Cinco Días. No. The Independence of Catalonia is not the response to the repression of the State, as they want us to believe, because the procés started, and speed up, much before the state responded in any way. No. […]