There are ideas that are born in an office. Others, at a coffee break. And then there are ideas that appear when someone has been thinking about the same question for too long and decides that, instead of continuing to grumble alone, it is better to gather people and have them discuss it in public. The conference "Majorcan identity in the 21st century: continuities, fractures and narratives" undoubtedly belongs to this third category.The event, organized by Professor Ernest Carranza at Can Oleo, in Palma, brought together diverse but very complementary profiles. Thus, Miquel Sbert and Andreu Ramis reflected on the role of traditions in a society in constant transformation; Mercè Picornell offered a particularly suggestive view on new ways of participating in Mallorcan identity; and finally, Antoni Janer coordinated a round table.As often happens with good conversations, the conferences did not end because the arguments had been exhausted, but because the custodians reminded us that, no matter how much we discussed the future of Mallorca, the building closed at a certain hour. And perhaps this is the most important detail of all. Because, beyond the lectures, what was really worthwhile was the conversation.It had been a long time since I had enjoyed a public debate so much. There were few of us, yes, but perhaps that was part of the charm. It wasn't one of those talks where, before sitting down, you already know exactly what they're going to tell you and where everything ends up being a sum of parallel monologues. Something else happened here. That literary atmosphere, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find, was palpable: a space where you can disagree without needing to turn any difference into a trench.I also have to say that I also did my bit with a communication. It was titled Relatos en disputa: history, symbols, and identity in contemporary Mallorca. My intervention started from a very simple idea: identities do not arise spontaneously, but are a social construction. And, precisely for this reason, they are also an object of dispute. In Mallorca, this dispute is visible everywhere. In street names, public signage, at school, on commemorative days, or in the presence of institutional symbols. That "La Balanguera" plays in a supermarket. That a Mallorcan influencer moves naturally through social networks. That a popular festival is perceived as one's own by people of very different profiles. It is here, in these apparently insignificant gestures, where cultural hegemonies are built. This struggle is not divided into two perfectly defined sides. Between Spanish nationalism and Catalan nationalism, we could say. Identity debates, rather, move on a scale of greys. Because reality is much more complex than television often suggests. We all know that in Mallorca you can claim the Catalan language without questioning the current institutional framework; that you can feel Mallorcan and Spanish at the same time; or that you can defend greater self-government without being an independentist, to say something. Deep down, the debate is very simple: who has the capacity to define what Mallorca is?However, it is important not to lose perspective, because there is a fact that is difficult to refute: despite all the nuances, Spanish identity in Mallorca enjoys an enviable health. Its great triumph has been to achieve that, for a large majority of the population, feeling Mallorcan and feeling Spanish are not conflicting identities, but perfectly compatible ones. As historian Ferran Archilés has pointed out, the Spanish national project has not only not failed, but has demonstrated a remarkable capacity for integration, incorporating regional diversity within a narrative widely accepted as natural. And here the big question arises: where is Mallorcan identity heading? The answer is that no one knows for sure. But we do know one thing: identities are not immutable, but rather evolve as societies do. To think that the Mallorca of the future will be exactly the same as today's is as naive as believing that the current Mallorca is the same as that of fifty years ago. What I think could happen is that a 'light' Majorcan identity emerges. Apparently less ideologized, capable of integrating an increasingly diverse society without renouncing a part of the culture and traditions. In this new context, it must be assumed that this new society will inevitably include Majorcans of diverse origins who only speak Spanish. The question that remains to be resolved, in my opinion, is whether these new identities will be reduced to a purely folkloric expression or whether, on the contrary, they will transform into a collective project capable of engaging new generations. This, probably, will depend on what we Majorcanists are capable of doing. 

Catalan has not disappeared from the lives of young people in the Balearic Islands. It is heard in classrooms, in conversations between friends, and in many homes and environments. But it no longer always comes out on its own. Increasingly, speaking it is a choice – and it is here where its immediate future is being played out. The success of initiatives like Acampallengua and the youth presence at language rallies show that the muscle remains active and capable of mobilization. It is not just a symbolic issue: these are spaces where the language is practiced, reinforced, and projected into the future. This year, the first edition of Correllengua Agermanat will test this commitment.

GOB Mallorca presented the report this Friday in Parliament Impacts on the work of ecosocial transformation in the Balearic Islands. A degrowth proposalPrepared by the Garúa cooperative, the document argues that a well-planned eco-social transition could lead to a net increase in employment, with higher-quality jobs and more dignified working conditions, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for citizens. GOB spokesperson Margalida Ramis explained that the report puts forward "fundamental proposals" to move towards an economic model less dependent on tourism and more aligned with the archipelago's ecological limits. "The Balearic Islands are a limited, fragile territory, damaged by environmental and economic crises that must be at the center of the social and political debate," she emphasized. She added that the goal is for the document to serve as the basis for a public discussion throughout 2026 on the economic, social, and political viability of these proposals. A model based on over-tourism

UIB researcher Iván Murray, a member of the GRICCS research group, has presented a metabolic analysis of the Balearic economy, that is, an evaluation of the energy and material flows that sustain the current model. According to Murray, since the end of World War II, the Islands have become "a laboratory of touristification," a process that has fueled dependence on an abundant and cheap workforce to serve an ever-increasing transient population. This model, he explained, has been accompanied by strong demographic and territorial pressure, as well as a high level of energy and material dependence. Currently, each person generates a daily material footprint of 27.4 kilos, and 90% of the energy consumed in the Islands is used for electricity and transportation—air and land. "We are an economic system that requires many external resources and leaves an unsustainable environmental footprint," Murray warned.

]]> The debate over the future of tourism in the Balearic Islands serves little more than propaganda by some parties against others—with the respective social groups that support them—but not to find a solution to the avalanche of visitors we are suffering: 15.6 per resident, a product of the machinery—created by the lords of Balearic politics and economics—of everything from more to ... If when the controversy over saturation erupted in all its intensity (2019) 16.5 million visitors arrived and this year we will exceed 19, it is obvious that the relative slowdown in growth (compared to what was expected) will not spare us from the continuation of the political spectacle based on talking a lot but saying nothing.

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There are times when, in order to grow, it's necessary to kill the father, that's how it is. Not out of hatred or contempt, but out of liberation. Mallorcanism must do it, and quickly. Because whether we like it or not, it still functions with ideas inherited from the Transition. A time when it seemed everything was possible... and then it wasn't so much. We keep repeating rituals that give us a false sense of coherence—what demonstrations we organized! What speeches!—while the real country falls apart in our hands.

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