The Origins, Ideology, and Organization of Basque Nationalism, 1876-1903

In this seminal work, first published in Spanish in 1979 and revised for a second edition in 2001, Javier Corcuera charts the emergence and rise of nationalism within the context of a society experiencing tremendous economic, social, and political transformation. He focuses on the figure of Sabino Arana, the founder of Basque nationalism, arguing that his thinking evolved from a traditional vision of outright independence to a position of accommodation of Basque difference within Spain. This evolution was, in Corcuera’s opinion, the result of contact with another cultural and political current, emanating from Bilbao’s modern industrial bourgeoisie, that emphasized a more pragmatic vision of Basque nationalism based on securing as much regional power as possible while remaining within the Spanish state. Here, then, lay the origins of the internal tensions that would come to define the subsequent development of the PNV or Basque Nationalist Party.