Geopolitics and Emerging Nationalisms in the Interwar World: Catalonia and the Prats de Molló Events

Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme, Barcelona, Spain
One of the emblematic events of interwar Catalonia was the attempted armed uprising led by Francesc Macià in the autumn of 1926 at the head of Estat Català, with the aim of overthrowing the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and establishing the Catalan Republic. His arrest and that of his followers in Prats de Molló by the French Gendarmerie triggered a controversial diplomatic affair and a high-profile international campaign. This exposure benefited Macià’s leadership and his political project.

With the centenary of the Prats de Molló events as its central theme, the conference presents the latest research and new interpretations of the emerging nationalisms that followed the First World War and their relationship with Catalonia. The conference’s various sessions examine, among other topics, the evolution of nationalist organizations in the new global geopolitical landscape following the end of the world conflict; the impact of new political and ideological currents on nationalisms; the influence of cultural and pan-federal movements; new migrations as a network for circulating ideas, resources, and alliances among insurrectionary movements; and the phenomenon of paramilitarization and political violence.

The conference will present new historiographical contributions concerning the Prats de Molló events, including the actors involved in the plot and women’s activism; the diplomatic problems it generated; the role of the press and political propaganda in the events’ local and international impact; and their significance in political life and nationalist culture.