The Role of FC Barcelona in Fuelling Catalan Nationalism

R12

Views: 844

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2014, Common Ground Research Networks, All Rights Reserved

Abstract

The alleged atrocities committed by the right wing fascist dictator Francisco Franco against the province of Catalonia in Spain aroused sentiments of separatism within its people. In light of the current financial mess that Spain finds itself embroiled in, FC Barcelona, a football club based in Central Catalonia, has become an institutional embodiment of the Catalan identity. This paper examines football through the lens of regional identity and attempts to assess the role played by Football Club Barcelona in fuelling Catalan Nationalism.