Mallorca, capital: Barcelona
The year was 1936. A few months before the outbreak of the Civil War, a multitude of intellectuals signed the Response to the CatalansIt was not a symbolic or circumstantial gesture. It was a serious, well-considered, and courageous manifesto that stated something very simple: Mallorcans share a language, share a culture, and want to walk together. In other words, it was a declaration of the Catalan identity of the Balearic Islands. It was drafted by Miquel Ferrà i Juan and signed by 151 leading figures of island culture. The coup d'état and the Francoist dictatorship cut it all off at the root, as Spain tends to do when something makes it uncomfortable.
This writing was not an anecdote, but rather the confirmation of a historical continuity. It laid bare a reality often hidden: for a long time, a significant part of Mallorcan society has considered itself—and wanted to consider itself—as part of the Catalan nation. This is what, with varying degrees of accuracy, has been called the Catalan Countries. The term has a long history, appearing in the historiography of the 18th and 19th centuries and becoming established in texts such as the Response to the CatalansIt is, in short, a concept that was not invented yesterday afternoon, but to which Joan Fuster, in the sixties of the last century, gave order, method and philosophical malice.
However, how these Catalan Countries are experienced in each of their territories is very different. I know more than one person who sincerely loves the language of Ramon Llull, but who must hyperventilate when someone even hints at their Catalan identity. That's just how it is; we are territories marked by centuries of political subordination, which leaves a schizophrenic mark on how belonging is understood. The data, in this sense, is clear: while in Catalonia the pro-independence vote hovers around 55%, in the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands it barely exceeds 15%. This explains many discomforts: for example, Mallorcans who listen to Oques Grasses or La Gossa Sorda, who watch TV3, but for whom the concept of "Catalan from Mallorca" grates.
Let's take it step by step, starting with Catalonia. Catalonia is a nation, period. Not because history dictates it, nor because any political party proclaims it, nor because a cultural elite imposes it, but because the majority of its inhabitants perceive it as such. According to polls, 60% of Catalans feel they are a nation with the right to decide their future. This shared national consciousness has become evident in recent times, such as during the years of the independence movement, when a very large majority defended the right to self-determination as a democratic solution to the political conflict. Catalonia is, therefore, a living nation, but also a minority nation: it does not have its own state and is part of Spain, which does not recognize itself as plurinational. The result is well known: political pressure, identity conflict, and a constantly tense relationship with the central government.
In the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, the situation is different. In these territories, Catalan identity is not the majority view. The majority of the population feels Spanish, often with a moderate form of Spanish nationalism, yes. A regionalist one, I would say. Not one for giant flags and military parades, but Spanish nationalism nonetheless. Admitting this shouldn't be a tragedy. It's the country we live in. The problem lies in ignoring the political, cultural, and linguistic consequences that arise from all this. In these territories, Catalan nationalism is experienced with a sense of inferiority, as a minority, and takes on its own forms, focusing on more linguistic and cultural aspects, adapting to hostile social and economic contexts. From this arise Mallorcan and Valencian nationalism: not as a complete rejection of anything, but as a pragmatic way of surviving.
In the Balearic Islands, the data speaks for itself. According to surveys, only 27.3% of the population always speaks Catalan with their family, but of those, 80% identify as nationalist.
Here's my hypothesis: what if recent demographic, political, and economic evolution has shaped two complementary realities: one nation, Catalonia, and two Catalan national minorities in the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community? To fully understand this, perhaps we need to refine the concepts a bit more. Look: a minority nation is a nation with a majority awareness of its own identity, but without its own political power. A national minority is a group that forms part of a larger nation, but is numerically a minority within its own territory. The needs are not the same: minorities need protection; nations need power and self-government. Confusing them only creates confusion.
One final point on this matter. When two languages compete, their identity is at stake. Those who feel Spanish speak Castilian; those who feel Catalan maintain Catalan. Not out of romanticism, but out of consistency. The language will not survive thanks to saccharine rhetoric or fictitious cross-party appeals, as much of the language advocacy movement would like, but thanks to a conscious national minority. Stating this isn't excluding anyone; it's simply ceasing to deceive ourselves.
