Nazio kulturalaz ohar zenbait

Abstract

This work argues that the Basque Country —the country of Basque language— is an ethnic and cultural, and at the same time, civic nation, and after discussing the notion following the works of Todorov, Artaud, Rousseau, Connor and Tonnies, among others, it aims at clarifying the distinction between ethnos and pathos. The sovereignty of a country is the source of e thnos, whereas the sovereignty of the city is the source of demos. Both are found in a political community, either in the made up nation built by the state or in a historical nation without a state. The problem is to what extent these two concepts are compatible and to what extent are not, especially when the transversality of social phenomena makes a leap from the right to self-determination of the countries to the citizens' right to decide. This problem is manifest in the case of the Basque Country and Catalonia, which want to built their independent states or republics. The citizenship has its roots in the state. And when the state sees its territorial unity to be in danger, it ignites the ghost of two communities in the subdued nations. In the concluding section, the recovery of Basque language and the territorial unity are taken as an indispensable basis, among others for a future independent Basque Country. It is also reminded that state-nations are in crisis and national liberations on the rise. In Europe there were 24 states at the beginning of 20th century; today there are more than 50.