A Citizen's Democracy in Authoritarian Times

A Citizen's Democracy in Authoritarian Times

An American View on the Catalan Drive for Independence

Agents of sedition who are heedlessly destroying Spain's "consolidated democracy"? Xenophobes simply interested in protecting their own wealth who are, behind the rhetoric, not that different from the tribal authoritarians coming to the fore in Hungary and northern Italy? These are but two of the many narrative tropes the Spanish government and the establishment press in Europe and the US are rolling out to counter the rise of separatist sentiment in Catalonia. In this book, Thomas S. Harrington, an American with a deep familiarity with Catalan culture and history, argues that, far from being a threat to democracy in Europe, the scrupulously peaceful and people-driven movement for independence in Catalonia is, perhaps, the best hope we have for spurring its much hoped-for renewal. Hi ha agents de sedició que estan destruint sense consciència la "democràcia consolidada" d'Espanya? Xenòfobs interessats només a protegir la seua riquesa que, més enllà de la retòrica, no són tan diferents dels autoritaris tribals que han sorgit a Hongria i el nord d'Itàlia? Aquests són només dos dels molts trops narratius que el govern espanyol i la premsa del "establishment" a Europa i els EUA estan desplegant per a contrarestar l'augment del sentiment separatista a Catalunya. En aquest llibre, Thomas S. Harrington, un nord-americà amb un profund coneixement de la cultura i la història catalanes, argumenta que, lluny de ser una amenaça per a la democràcia a Europa, el moviment independentista, escrupolosament pacífic i impulsat pel poble, a Catalunya és, potser, la millor esperança que tenim per a impulsar-ne la tan esperada renovació.
  • Prologue
  • Rapping on the Cast(i)le Gates: Nationalism and Culture-Planning in Contemporary Spain
  • If a Million People March for Catalan Independence in Barcelona, Do They Make Noise?
  • “Washington Seeks Stability. It is Not Likely to Recognize a Catalan State”
  • The Essential Question of Our Time: “Will We Live as Citizens, or Go Back to Being Subjects?”
  • New National Structures Are Needed to Protect People Against Powerful Transnational Interests
  • Projecting Catalan Identity in the Contemporary World: A View from the Outside
  • Waiting for Positive Signs from the Great Powers is to Ratify Their Power Over You
  • No Centralist Power Will Allow Anyone to Leave Without Exacting a Price
  • Dignity Is an Important Word
  • Les Bases de Manresa: Where they Came From and Why They Are Important
  • Media Control and Authoritarian Rhetoric: How Spain’s Corrupt People’s Party Continues to Rule
  • An Interview with Catalan Independence Leader Artur Mas
  • A Nation Too Liquid?
  • As Long as The Front Against Negotiation Exists in Madrid, the Level of Alienation in Catalonia Will Grow
  • Urgent: Forced Takeover of Catalan Government Institutions by Spanish Police
  • Catalonia: Spanish Centralism or Self-Defeating Hubris of the Authoritarian Mind
  • Largest Newspaper in Spain Blames Russia and Antiwar.com for Catalonia Pro-Independence News
  • In the Midst of a Coup, Catalans Keep On Keepin’ On
  • Last Sunday in Catalonia: Pirates 1, The Invincible Armada 0
  • The Disingenuousness of the “Procedural Irregularities” Case Against Catalan Independence
  • Mario Vargas Llosa is the Perfect Poster Boy for Spanish Unionism
  • The Baseless Myth of the Poor, Propagandized Catalans
  • When Viewed in Comparative Terms, Catalonia’s Culture of Democracy is Truly Impressive
  • A Polemic with a Professor at the University of Connecticut
  • The Major Question Here is the Role of Force in Elective Democracies in the 21st Century
  • Catalonia and the Art of Differential Diagnosis
  • An Extraordinary Moment for Democracy in Europe
  • Big Media and Last Thursday’s (December 21st ) Vote in Catalonia: “Never Mind”
  • What Nerve! In Catalonia They Are Once Again Trying to Swear in the Coalition that Won the Most Votes
  • Rajoy and Catalonia: The Fear Behind the Bully’s Rage
  • Professor Marlene Wind: Symbol of a Smug Denmark and a Power-Serving Academic Discipline
  • Civil Disobedience: Myths and Realities
  • Brand Name Progressives in the US … and in Catalonia
  • When Spain Thought it Had Gained Promotion to the First Division of Lying States
  • The Establishment’s “Controversialization” of Quim Torra
  • Why Must Governments in Catalonia Please All When Those in Madrid Can Simply Enact Their Programs?
  • The Unionists in Catalonia Turn to the Latin American Coup Playbook

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