Youth factor in the separatism development in Spain. The case of Catalonia and Basque Country

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the issue of young people role in separatism in Spain. The phenomenon of separatism is considered as a system where young people can be both a part of the system and an external factor. An attempt is made to trace the evolution of the youth involvement in separatist movements, as well as to identify the main current trends in the attitude of young people to the ideas of nationalism, specifically in the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Basque Country. The article investigates the results of European empirical studies on the problem of young people political participation both in Spain and in other EU countries, as well as a number of sociological studies on the attitude of the youth to the issues of separatism, nationalism and radicalism. As a result, a number of conclusions are made that indicate the existence of multidirectional trends among modern young Spaniards on issues of separatism, some of these trends are features of the current situation and were not typical for Spanish society earlier.