‘Spain steals from us!’ The ‘populist drift’ of Catalan regionalism

This article analyses to what extent traditional mainstream Catalan regionalist parties and groups have adapted their discourses and collective performances in what might be seen as a ‘populist drift’ from regionalism to secessionism. This strategic move has been favoured by increasing party competi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comparative European politics (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) Basingstoke, England), 2018-11, Vol.16 (6), p.993-1011
Main Authors: Barrio, Astrid, Barberà, Oscar, Rodríguez-Teruel, Juan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Austerity policy
Center and periphery
Comparative Politics
Competition
Complaints
Corruption
Corruption in government
Discourses
European Politics
Interest groups
International Relations
Mobilization
Original Article
Political elites
Political institutions
Political parties
Political Science
Political Science and International Relations
Political Science and International Studies
Populism
Power
Public Finance
Referendums
Regionalism
Rhetoric
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Summary:This article analyses to what extent traditional mainstream Catalan regionalist parties and groups have adapted their discourses and collective performances in what might be seen as a ‘populist drift’ from regionalism to secessionism. This strategic move has been favoured by increasing party competition among these actors and would respond to the grievances reinforced by a context of austerity policies, political corruption, and a long institutional conflict on the centre–periphery. Our contribution is twofold. First, we show how parties and movements may combine regionalist and populist arguments in order to adapt their language, stressing the will of the Catalan people and its opposition against the Spanish political elites. Second, we explore how secessionist parties and groups have innovated their mobilization repertoires in order to fit with this populist-oriented discourse, employing mass mobilization, referenda simulations, and a populist political style in the institutions. Overall, Catalan secessionism presents a peculiar case where mainstream ruling parties adopt populist rhetoric and new mobilization practices to maintain power in adverse times.
ISSN:1472-4790
1740-388X
DOI:10.1057/s41295-018-0140-3