An Analysis Of The Discourse Strategy Of Catalan Separatism

Implemented by Catalan Generalitat and Parliament,the independence referendum held in October 2017 marked the new wave of the separatist movement in this autonomy.Catalonia has its unique history,ethnic culture,and the long-lasting historical conflicts with Spain.Since the democratization reform in 1978,the autonomy of Catalonia has been restored and significantly improved.However,due to the impact of the 2008 economic crisis,conflicts between Catalonia and Spain over the fiscal system,infrastructure investment and economic development stand out and became fiercer.As separatist parties become more powerful in regional politic arena,their discourse with underlying separatist ideology is playing an increasingly important role in shaping public cognition.Taking history,ethnic identity and actual conflicts as the material of separatist speech,Catalan separatist parties provide selective information and biased interpretation,implement discursive strategy in three ways: guiding the discussion topic and responsibility attribution,constructing images of Catalonia and Spain,explaining the rationality of independence.In terms of guiding discussion topic and interpretation,the separatist parties emphasize controversial issues with Spanish government,and the responsibility was attributed to Spain's backward regime,central government's inefficiency and autocracy.The inequality in Catalonia-Spain relationship,the victim identity suffered from economic exploitation and the political marginalization are also highlighted.In the image construction,separatist parties conduct positive representation of Catalonia,by contrast biased,negative representation of Spanish government.For the rationality of independence,the right of self-determination and democracy are emphasized to prove legitimacy,and independence is described as the best resolution for a brighter future of Catalonia.The separatist discourse of pro-independence parties to some extent shapes public's identity and social cognition.Under these influences,public's sense of Catalan belonging,identity of group,and discontent of Spanish government has increased.The cognition embedded with separatist ideology affects people's interpretation,judgement and choice of independence and relating issues,leads their political behaviors and prompts the development of separatism in Catalonia.