Catalonia

Catalonia is recognised as a successful, modern and dynamic area in Europe, with a strong cultural and historical identity. This book examines how Catalonia has developed over the last twenty years into a model for other European regions. It examines the policies of the Catalan political parties towards national and regional identity in the post-Franco transition period of the 1980s to 2000, when Catalan autonomy was achieved and consolidated. It explores how policies towards Catalan culture and politics have changed, during the transitional years following Franco's death and beyond, to adapt to a new European context - how this raises new challenges to the nation-state, and how this in turn raises questions over sovereignty and democratic legitimacy in the new Europe.