Is the National Question a Problem for Social Movements? Activist Discourses from the Basque Country

Abstract

This article describes the impact of the national issue in the contemporary context of Basque social movements. Feminist, socio-ecology, pro-migrant and pro-language activists participated in this qualitative research. Our analysis indicates that a disposition towards collaboration can be observed within the social movements investigated. While this represents a shift as compared to decades past, different and sometimes conflicting national imaginaries are still present in activist discourses. These are reflected in debate around a number of issues, but especially the centrality of Basque identity in general and the Basque language in particular.