Spanish and Catalan: The Barcelona Olympics and Representations of National Identities in the Press

Authors

• Minna Uusivirta Turun yliopisto

Abstract

This article examines the discourse of Spanish and Catalan identities and their representations in two Spanish newspapers, the leading Barcelona journal La Vanguardia, and a major Madrid paper El País around the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The aim is to show how the journals dealt with the Spanish Olympic athletes and their unforeseen success as well as the ways in which Spanishness and Catalanness were represented and built in the papers. This happened at a time when Spain had only recently recovered from the centralist associations of nationalism that were held high in Franco's dictatorship. Due to the euforia caused by the sporting and organising success both La Vanguardia and El Pais represented mainly a unifying discourse, which played down the differences between Spain and Catalonia, but also brought out contrary tones despite being nationalism-wise moderate papers. A modern, democratic Spain was depicted in making a clear distinction to the past.