National identity in a global world; otherness in a country without a state. The case of Basque Contemporary Literature

Abstract

Basque literature has had complex relation with the creation of national identity (as defined by Gellner (1983) and Anderson(1991)) insofar as the Basque Country remains divided between France and Spain; the socio – political ramifications of such territorial divide manifesting in diglosia, heterogeneous identities and opposed national and political projects, which have hindered the raise of a national literature understood as an alliance between the interests of the state and the cultural interests. Conversely, the border divide and the political divide have had an impact on the literary representations of a national landscape (Thiesse, 2010). The present research aims to explore how contemporary Basque authors relate to the aforementioned situation in a context of globalization, connectography and the shift of paradigm from states to global – cities and information and professional supply networks (Khana, 2017).

The result is a myriad of strategies that explore the relationship between author and national landscape encompassing the distancing from the homeland (Bernardo Atxaga); representations of the material and symbolic implications of a homeland divided (Eider Rodríguez); the search for the national identity elsewhere, by exploring the maps and the journeys of Basque whaler – ships (Aurelia Arkotxa); and the desire to transcend a national cultural system by developing branding and marketing strategies in the global market (Kirmen Uribe).