"Francoism is a thing of the past, but it's still very useful."

On Thursday, the ABC Culture Classroom at the Círculo de Bellas Artes hosted a discussion on the novel 'Saga Nostra' by Gastón Segura , a fiction set in the final stretch of the pandemic that portrays the social and emotional impact of the Catalan process from the inside of a bourgeois family. Moderated by Carlos Aganzo , director of the Vocento Foundation, and in conversation with historians Gabriel Tortella and Jordi Canal , the author explained that his book addresses issues such as "the betrayal of Spain by a section of the Catalan bourgeoisie" and the way in which nationalist ideology has been normalized through patronage and sentimentality.

In this regard, Tortella denounced the fact that successive Spanish governments "have not understood Catalonia" and have acted "out of fear" of nationalism, allowing figures like Jordi Pujol "to become feudal lords." The historian accused the political class, since the time of Felipe González , of having given in to nationalist pressure: "I get the impression that, for politicians in Madrid, Catalonia is a wild animal that must be tamed and treated with great care so that it doesn't bite you."

Tortella also criticized the use of Francoism as an ideological alibi: "We all suffered under Franco. They put me in jail in Madrid, not for being Catalan, but for being left-wing. But today it seems that only Catalans were oppressed." Canal agreed on this point: "Francoism is a thing of the past, but it's still very useful. The nationalist narrative has instilled the idea of ​​a cultural genocide in Catalonia, which is false. Most of the Francoist mayors ended up as mayors of Convergència." And yet, he added, "in schools, in the media, a mythical story has been constructed that presents all wars as attacks on Catalonia."

Jordi Canal believes that the Catalan independence process is the result of a long process of nationalization that began during the Pujol era and was consolidated after 2003. "The nationalist parties had already divided up all the positions. When they lost the Generalitat, they accused their ERC partners of treason," he said. The reaction to this, he explained, was to radicalize the discourse and seek an already latent path to independence.

Canal pointed out that the current Catalan independence movement has a clear geographical component: "The 'procés' is something very typical of inland Catalonia, of municipalities like Olot, where linguistic immersion and education have been key to becoming a hard core." Canal recalled that he studied there during the second half of the 1960s: "Until I was 18, I didn't speak Spanish with anyone, because I didn't know anyone who spoke it." Today, he is no longer welcome there. "With the presentation of my book 'Con permiso de Kafka,' my reaction to the weariness of what happened in 2017 [the year of the declaration of independence], they felt I couldn't go alone and placed two police officers next to me. And, of course, you don't feel like walking around your hometown accompanied by two Mossos d'Esquadra..."