The Separatist Sentiments in Spain: The Role of National and Regional Identities' Conflict

Abstract

Regional and national identities as two levels of the identification process may conflict, especially when it comes to multicomponent states. Today, against the backdrop of globalization and integration processes, regional identity is strengthening, which leads to the desire of regional communities to change the existing balance of relations with the central government, expanding the autonomy of their territorial entities, until independence.This article, using Spanish autonomies as an example, reveals the significance of regional identity in the process of intensifying regional separatism. Spain is a state that has repeatedly faced the problems of rising separatist sentiments. Historically, the Spanish regions were distinguished by cultural and linguistic diversity, and the asymmetry in the socio-economic and political situation of the autonomous regions at the present stage predetermined the developed regional self-identification of the population. This article focuses on the historical aspects of the formation of the regional and national identity of the inhabitants of Spain, discloses the stages of the process of building the Spanish nation. Based on the results of surveys on self-identification of residents of the autonomous regions of Spain, the correlation of regional national identities is determined, on the basis of this, two groups of regions are identified. The assessment of regional identity as one of the prerequisites for the development of centrifugal trends in Spain is given.