Representation for Stateless Nations: Catalonia

Professors Jordi de San Eugenio Vela and Jordi Xifra have published a new article in the February 2015 issue of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. The article International Representation Strategies for Stateless Nations: The case of Catalonia’s Cultural Diplomacy examines Catalonia’s efforts to reinvent its image both domestically and internationally through culture. Since the Catalan government developed and implemented its 2010-2015 Foreign Action Plan, Catalonia’s culture has been showcased at international book fairs (Guadalajara, Mexico in 2004 and Frankfurt, Germany in 2007); music and theater festivals: (Guanajuato, Mexico in 2008 and Bogotá, Columbia in 2010); and the Expolangues in Paris in 2010. As the authors observe “culture transcends political and legal hurdles and enables a new form of geopolitics that does not understand territorial administrative divisions, but rather mental, intangible-type spatial boundaries.” The authors conclude that if Catalonia continues to project its culture to the world stage, then Catalonia can achieve both local cultural recognition and global cultural relevance. 

The full article is available here.