Abstract
This chapter examines the role of the public school immersion system in the Catalan language for maintaining Catalan national identity in contemporary Catalonia (Spain). The chapter shows how, in a context of contrasted nationalisms between Spain and Catalonia, to teach in Catalan or in Spanish is a sensitive political issue that goes far beyond considerations about linguistic competencies in a bilingual context . The chapter briefly describes the contemporary educational model in Catalonia and how the Catalan immersion system has been implemented since 1983. Discussed is also how the latest rise of secessionist demands in Catalonia has put the school and linguistic policy at the center of a strong political and judicial confrontation between the Spanish government and Catalan regional authorities.
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This chapter has been possible thanks to a I+D Project, funded by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (HAR2013-40445-P). My appreciation to the book publishers, Kari Kantasalmi and Gunilla Holm, for their comments that have improved the text. I also wish to thank Nina Kammerer for her contributions to the text. None of those to whom I am so grateful are responsible for the mistakes or lack of sense of the text, attributable only to the author.
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Fainé, M.C.i. (2017). Language, National Identity and School: The Role of the Catalan-Language Immersion Program in Contemporary Catalan Nationalism. In: Kantasalmi, K., Holm, G. (eds) The State, Schooling and Identity. Education Dialogues with/in the Global South. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1515-1_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1515-1_3
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