“Catalanes y escoceses: union y discordia”. The Astute Analysis of John H. Elliott

Sir John Huxtable Elliott analyzes the trajectory of Catalan and Scottish nationalisms from the 15th century to Carles Puigdemont. A fascinating treatise that advocates for the need for understanding.

Cover of the book Catalanes y escoceses. Union y discordia. John H. Elliott. Editorial Taurus, 2018.

Sir John Huxtable Elliott is one of the most awarded and respected British historians today. With one foot already in his nineties, his brain remains brilliant and active as few are. To such an extent that in 2018 he published his critical analysis Catalanes y escoceses: union y discordia, a fascinating comparative essay of the trajectories of both territories, their similarities and their differences. Two parallel processes that, although many seek to equate, present substantial differences that demand distinct views and approaches. The historian, who was a professor at Oxford for decades and is a pioneer in comparative history, makes precisely that distinction in relation to the 19th and 20th centuries: “while in Catalonia and Spain civil wars and military uprisings occurred until 1975, in Scotland and Great Britain consensus prevailed”, Elliott commented in an interview for the newspaper El Mundo. The author of the book analyzes the history of Catalonia and Scotland in relation to the separatist tendency, fleeing from anecdotes or banal positions and emphasizing the most important details.

Fragment of the conversation with John H. Elliott in the series Espana. Cuarenta anos de historia, in relation to the publication of his book Catalanes y escoceses. union y discordia.

The current situation of both territories, as well as of Great Britain and Spain in general, is at a critical point. And Elliott is not unaware of it. The author of the book is conscious of the alarm created by the looming Brexit, which “could give oxygen to the Scottish separatists”, while in Spain he sees an agreement as possible, although difficult. The professor and doctor honoris causa from several Spanish universities is specialized in the study of the history of Spain and Catalonia, where he resided and worked in the 1950s. Throughout the six chapters of the book, structured in chronological succession, the comparative history of the two territories is developed; two parallel trajectories that meet, diverge, draw near and reject each other. With more than 500 pages, this lucid reflection on the history of nationalism in Scotland and Catalonia also constitutes a fundamental text for understanding contemporary Europe in general. 

You may also like

The Thyssen Museum Dazzles with a Rediscovered CaravaggioBanksy Strikes Again with a Corrosive Christmas ImageThe British Museum Programs a Major Edvard Munch RetrospectiveThe Cayon Gallery Brings Dan Graham’s Work to MadridLita Cabellut Fulfills the Dream of Exhibiting with Her MasterThe Statesman and the Artist: Sir Winston Churchill and Painting