Sovereignty, Prefigurative Politics, and Basques’ Joy to Decide

The literature about Basque politics and the anthropology of sovereignty often define the political within the boundaries of violence, desire, and statehood: a sort of pessimism pervades the general assumptions and the end results. In this article, I shift the focus to a different aspect of the prob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social analysis 2021-09, Vol.65 (3), p.22-43
Main Author: Gaztanaga, Julieta
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Anthropology
Basque people
Discourses
Ethnographic research
Ethnography
Happiness
Pacifists
Pessimism
Pleasure
Political activity
Political aspects
Politics
Self determination
Social movements
Sovereignty
Statehood
Violence
Zulaika, Joseba
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Summary:The literature about Basque politics and the anthropology of sovereignty often define the political within the boundaries of violence, desire, and statehood: a sort of pessimism pervades the general assumptions and the end results. In this article, I shift the focus to a different aspect of the problem of sovereignty, drawing on ethnographic research about a Basque social movement that asserts self-determination in terms of a democratic and pacifist ‘Right to Decide’. Exploring the movement’s organization, daily activities, performances, sociality, and discourses, I argue that they prefigure political pleasure in a way that encourages the performance of sovereignty as a positive force. I show how the movement creates an environment in which producing sovereignty becomes a joyful experience.
ISSN:0155-977X
1558-5727
DOI:10.3167/sa.2021.650302