THE TRAJECTORY OF NATIONALIST MOVEMENTS - CATALAN AND BASQUE COMPARISONS

The trajectories of nationalist mobilization can be partly understood by looking at how the microstructures of an aggrieved community shape opportunities. Especially important is the degree of connectedness of interpersonal association - networks of family and trusted friends - s ometimes organized into voluntary associations. For repressed minority nationalities, these are often well-defined communities, or nationali st subcultures. The structure of these subcultures in Catalonia and th e Basque region for periods prior to mass mobilization are described. It is reasoned that the greater interconnectedness of the subculture i n Catalonia moderated the mobilization trajectory via increased interg enerational contact and the availability of established venues of nati onalist militancy. A more segmented structure of the Basque subculture limited opportunities for activism. This was art important factor in the formation and initial attraction of the radical separatist ETA org anization, and of the lack of unity ht the Basque nationalist oppositi on.