ENTRE EL MITE I LA REALITAT. ELEMENTS MEDIEVALISTES DEL CATALANISME PARTICULARISTA DE V. ALMIRALL ( LO CATALANISME , 1886)

Abstract

This article analyzes Lo catalanisme (1886) by V. Almirall through the lens of Medievalism and Cultural Nationalism. In his work Almirall consistently describes the Crown of Aragon as a confederació and the polities that formed it as estats . This particular characterization of a composite monarchy as a simple confederation of states has clearly more to do with the aspirations of nineteenth-century Catalanism than with the reality of medieval Iberia, and therefore represents a good example of the ideological use of the past. By emphasizing the Crown of Aragon’s decentralized structure and by downplaying the role of the monarchy, in fact, Almirall intended to promote two key ideas about Catalonia’s past, present and future. First: when given the opportunity, Catalans have always organized themselves according to the principle of federalism. Second: the values of liberty and democracy have always been at the core of their collective identity as Catalans. The message is clear: the creation of an autonomous Catalonia within a federally organized Spain is not only a political project that reflects Catalonia’s desire for auto-determination but also a tribute to its history and identity.