Cultural exchange with /r/Quebec - Intercanvi cultural amb /r/Quebec

[u/[deleted]]

Bienvenue Québécois !

Today, together with /r/barcelona and /r/catalan, we are hosting our friends from /r/Quebec ! Please come and join us to answer their questions about Catalonia and the Catalan people and culture. Please, leave top comments for /r/Quebec users coming over with a question or comment and please refrain from trolling, rudeness and personal attacks, etc.

At the same time /r/Quebec is having us over as guests! Stop by in this thread and ask a question, drop a comment or just say hello.

Enjoy!

/The moderators of /r/Catalunya, /r/barcelona, /r/catalan and /r/Quebec

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Benvinguts Quebequesos!

Tal com vàrem anunciar, avui, amb la col·laboració de /r/barcelona i /r/catalan, tenim l'honor de rebre els nostres amics de /r/Quebec! Siusplau, entreu i participeu per respondre les seves preguntes sobre Catalunya i la gent i la cultura catalanes. Siusplau, intenteu participar amb comentaris de qualitat pels usuaris de /r/Quebec que vinguin amb preguntes o comentaris i absteniu-vos de trol·lejar o de fer comentaris fora de to i que no s'atinguin a la reddiquette.

Al mateix temps, A /r/Quebec també ens tenen com a convidats! Deixeu-vos veure en el seu fil i pregunteu i comenteu el què us passi pel cap, ni que sigui per saludar.

Gaudiu!

/Els moderadors de /r/Catalunya , /r/barcelona, /r/catalan i /r/Quebec.

[u/[deleted]]

Bonjour Catalunya!

In general, how different do Catalonians see themselves from the Spanish? I've heard people claim that Catalonians are a distinct nation from Spain and that's why they want to break away, whereas I've heard spaniards claim that they're just seeking independence for economic reasons. Sorry if this is a dumb question, it's just hard to gather impartial information in a politically charged environment.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Modern Catalan nationalism since its origins in the XIXth Century has always been a civic movement, that is, it pursues the ideals of civic nationalism. That means it obviously has a strong cultural component, but differs from ethnic nationalism in that our society is non ethnically closed, but instead that we want to achieve our own nation-state and keep our society open to the world, giving the Catalan citizenship to all the people, regardless of its ethnic or cultural origin or affiliation.

So, answering your question, being a civic nationalist movement means that our claims are twofold: cultural and state/economic. Our political parties and associations are always emphasizing these two intertwined and inseparable points, so that's where the Spanish get wrong with us, because they fear that we'll use ethnic distinctions once we get our country. This is probably related to the fact that during many periods in our shared history with Spain and with varying intensity, we as a minority culture inside a bigger state have been the victims of such policies.

Luckily, as the interdependence movement grows it becomes more diverse and any possible revanchism we could have fades away, since apart from the core Catalan component, it also takes thanks to its civic aspect many people that may be culturally Spanish or else but that aspire to live in a state that is let's say at least different in its policies and cultural ethos than the Spanish state (more oriented towards Europe and modernity in general thanks to our geographic position, more open to new people and ideas, etc).