Aquest llibre vol ajudar al lector a entendre i interpretar els esdeveniments polítics de la història recent de Catalunya. El llibre també mostra que el procés té una pertinència política que va més enllà del context espanyol català i es refereix a punts clau pel que fa a la interacció de democràcia, sobirania i estatisme al segle XXI.

Imagine if your country voted to become independent, that vote was then ignored and its political leaders imprisoned or exiled.Following Catalonia's independence referendum, Clara Ponsatí, Education Minister, along with Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont were charged with sedition. They had to leave Catalonia and go into self-imposed exile, and seven of their former cabinet colleagues were imprisoned. The Case of the Catalans is a landmark book that explains the injustice Catalans have faced by being marginalised with their political beliefs rendered unlawful by the Spanish government. In this book, Ponsatí and her team of influential academics discuss the future of the Catalan people and the political and social tensions that led to the controversial referendum.In a clear and accessible style, they aim to educate as many people as possible, whether interested in politics or not, about the extraordinarily backward democratic process that currently defines Spain's national identity and has defied the settled will of the Catalan people.

This book explores the conflict between the Catalan project to become independent and the Spanish state’s opposition to any attempt of secessionism. The volume addresses some of the key political and academic issues of contemporary European societies: nationalism, separatism and sovereignty. The banned referendum in Catalonia in October 2017 unveiled the existence of multiple crises, from territorial to economic and political. Indeed, the Catalan issue is about the crisis of sovereignty: who holds legitimacy to make decisions, and who is in power legally and politically? The book is structured according to three themes: sovereignty and its people, where the realignment to independence, populism and the definition of the demos are discussed; collective identities and actions, to account for the shaping of ‘us’, the importance of collective memory and the cross-alliances forged during the referendum; and internationalization, focusing on Europeanisation, international media and comparative constitutional perspectives.

This volume offers an overview of the ongoing debate regarding nationalism, globalisation, secessionism and languages in 21st century Catalonia. At the heart of the book is a set of interlocking questions relating to socio-political issues in sub-state nations seeking independence in the 21st century.

Catalonia: A New Independent State in Europe examines the main issues of the political process which is taking place in Catalonia today. The political confrontation between the Spanish and Catalan institutions has now reached the international arena, especially the debates concerning international recognition of a new Catalan state and its membership of the European Union (EU) and other international institutions. There are no precedents for the secession of a region from an EU member country that could be applied to the case of Catalonia. Therefore, it is not surprising that the world has many unanswered question about the process. This volume aims to provide answers to many of these questions in a systematic and rigorous way. Why has the political scenario in Catalonia changed so radically and so rapidly? Is this new situation only temporary and support for independence is likely to vanish very soon? What role has the deep economic crisis in Catalonia and in Spain played in the process? Is a potential new Catalan state economically viable? Which are the main legal controversies about self-determination and independence between the Spanish and Catalan institutions? Would an independent Catalonia be a member of the EU? This book will be of great use to academics and students in the field of politics and international relations, particularly those interested in European economic and political studies. It will also interest a wide segment of general readers interested in contemporary political issues.

In this well documented 273-page book with over 400 references, the author argues that the Catalan independence movement has been attacked by the Spanish authorities using, among other strategies, disinformation, manipulation and accusations of indoctrination. It exposes the insistent attempts by the Spanish authorities to engage in large-scale disinformation as one of its strategies, along with endless threats and lawfare, to try to discredit, decapitate and counter what is, in fact, an entirely peaceful, democratic movement.After a Preface by Professor Henry Ettinghausen, the book consists of a short Introduction followed by seven chapters and a short list of conclusions. The chapters are "Fake news is not new. It goes well back in history", "Fake News and Russian influence, a concern in Europe and beyond", "The Catalan independence process and Spain's foreign policy", "The Catalan independence process: a "breeding-ground" for falsehoods, manipulation, fake news... and unrelenting lawfare", "Claims of Russian involvement in the Catalan independence process", "The Covid-19 pandemic, democratic values, and disinformation", and "The Covid-19 pandemic: a new excuse to hammer the Catalan independence process".