Basques

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Basque-speaking area on the Bay of Biscay
Basque-speaking area (in the darkest areas, more than 80% of the population speak Basque, in the lightest areas less than 20%)

The Basques (own name Euskaldunak or Euskal Herritar , Spanish Vascos , French Basques ) are the population primarily characterized by the Basque language (Euskara) and culture in the Basque Country (through emigration from other places as well), the Spanish - French border region on the Gulf of Biscay . According to these cultural criteria, they represent their own ethnic group and, viewed as a people without their own state or constituted nation , a national minority in both countries.

The name Basque comes from the Latin vascones , a name that was originally also used for Celtiberian groups, although it is etymologically related to the root eusk- . Basque is now considered an isolated language , since no original relationship to another language could be proven worldwide, and is probably a relic of the languages ​​spoken on the European continent before the Indo- European .

According to current knowledge, the speakers of the Basque language also come from the original population of this region; at least there is no evidence of an earlier settlement of the area by other language groups (peoples). In the history of the Basques there is a strong striving for independence and self-determination as well as for the preservation of one's own language and culture.

Uses of terms and definitions

Uses of terms

Farms in the strongly Basque north of Navarre

In the political and social debates the term the Basque (or Basque / Baskin) (as is often the case with ethnonyms ) is used in two different meanings, on the one hand as a designation for an ethnic group or a people of the Basques, on the other hand as a designation for the entirety of the population of the Basque Country or its (respective) parts, regardless of any other common features. In both uses, the term Basque is not clearly defined or the definition is controversial; as there is no agreement on the question of whether people belong to the ethnic Basques or on the territorial extent of the Basque Country. In both cases, the specific delimitation of the term Basque in the respective meaning (geographical or ethnic) is particularly problematic.

In the first case, this concerns the question of the ethnic classification of people to whom only a certain number of the specifically Basque characteristics apply (these characteristics are also controversial). In the second case, when the term Basque is used in the sense of the inhabitants of the Basque Country , the problem of delimitation includes the question of the specific geographical extent of the Basque Country. In addition to a large number of people whose individual affiliation (Basque or non-Basque) cannot be objectively clarified due to a lack of definitions that are recognized by all sides , there is also a not inconsiderable group of people who are relatively indisputably covered by both uses of the term Basque People who live in areas that are clearly part of the Basque Country and to which all the important characteristics (see below) that are ascribed to the Basque ethnicity apply.

Today it is among scientists z. Partly controversial as to whether the term ethnicity can still be used in a contemporary manner in a scientific context. In the specific case of the Basques, however, this does not change anything in the real circumstances of a population group with very far-reaching characteristics such as a strong sense of belonging, their own language , culture , history and politics . These peculiarities are the product of a historical and prehistoric social development process and today constitute what is called the Basque ethnicity, nation, nationality, national minority, population group and society, depending on the political point of view or scientific view.

In Basque, the Basque is represented as euskaldunak (German: speaker of Basque) or with euskal herritar (German: people of the Basque Country). The term euskaldunak , which actually means Basque speaker , is also used today for ethnic Basques who do not speak Basque, and the term also generally refers to all people who have learned the Basque language, regardless of their origin or where they live . The concept of Basque ethnicity is no longer used in today's political debates, as he by the biological-racist ideology that (the then European zeitgeist) Basque nationalism dominated the early days, now still with the concept of race associated becomes. Accordingly, the term euskotarrak (German: ethnic Basque), a word created by Sabino Arana , the founder of Basque nationalism ( Abertzale ), is no longer in use.

Today's Basque nationalist politics mostly uses the terms people , society and nation , and the non-nationalist or Spanish-nationalist politics rather prefers the terms society and nationality , the French nationalist those of the population , region and (cultural) specificity . By using the term Basque people, Basque nationalist politics also emphasizes the demand for the implementation of the right of peoples to self-determination , as defined by the UN . In this context, the double meaning of the word people ( Spanish pueblo ) in the sense of ethnic people and in the sense of state people , a desired Basque state, is by no means unwanted. The use of the term Basque nation also triggers violent controversy . With this use of the term , politicians and supporters of Basque nationalism underline the political claim of a complete, all political and social area, equality of the Basque nation alongside the Spanish and French.

In addition to the term Basque (span. Vascos ), the terms Basque people (span. Pueblo vasco ), Basque society (span. Sociedad vasca ) and the Basque citizens (span. Ciudadanía vasca ) are mostly used in Spanish . The first term relates more closely to the Basque ethnic group, while the latter term relates more clearly to the population of the Basque Country as a whole. These three terms are also not clearly defined and are used in politics depending on the current problem. Most political actors and parties use both terms with certain preferences. In the Statute of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (1979), for example, Article 1 refers to the Pueblo Vasco (Basque people), the Spanish constitution uses the phrase: “Peoples of Spain” (Spanish: pueblos de España ) and also refers to them as Nationalities .

Definitions

Classification of the population according to cultural identity
Official language areas of Navarre since 1986: Basque, mixed and Spanish speaking municipalities

The question: “Who is a Basque?” Or “Who are the Basques?” Stands in the tension between French, Spanish and Basque nationalism. Even within the Basque ethnic group, these questions have not been generally answered. There are several common definitions, almost all of which consist of a combination of several properties or characteristics or (silent) presuppose certain characteristics or properties. In practice, it also depends on the respective attitude or political guideline whether a broad definition is used (or linkage of characteristics / properties / requirements) or whether the definition is very narrow, e.g. B. only one characteristic decides or several characteristics must be fulfilled (and-relation). For example, the football club Athletic Bilbao , which traditionally only competes with Basque players, uses a combined definition of the Basque: either the player was born in the Basque Country and / or trained there from youth or he is an ethnic Basque, in the sense of Basque ancestors, i.e. H. Ancestors who come from the Basque Country, the clues for this are family name, family history and lived culture (e.g. Basques in exile or civil war refugees in Latin America). All provinces that are part of the Basque settlement area are regarded as the Basque Country. But even with this broad definition, a certain positive attitude towards Basque culture, language and tradition is a basic prerequisite; an openly Spanish nationalist football player would have no chance of acceptance.

The following relatively common definitions encompass a considerable number of people alike, but in some cases exclude numerous people who are included in other definitions. Sometimes supplemented by other properties or features or only apply under certain preconditions, but can and are often used in parallel (or combination):

  • “Basques are the inhabitants of the Basque Country .” This definition goes beyond the cultural peculiarities of the Basques and includes the majority of people who, according to another definition, are not Basques. In addition, the Basque Country can be defined differently. There is the Basque Autonomous Community ( Basque Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa , Spanish Comunidad Autónoma Vasca ) and the French Basque Country ( Iparralde = "north side", French Pays Basque ). The Spanish Navarre is wholly, partially or not at all included in the Basque Country, depending on political attitudes.
  • "Basques are the speakers (or native speakers) of the Basque language ." This definition uses language as an allocation criterion. For non-native speakers, a certain personal connection to the Basque Country (birth, place of residence, ancestry, etc.) is usually also required.
  • “Basques are those who consider themselves to be members of a Basque people and who put that identity above their Spanish or French nationality.” Not all native Basque speakers do that.
  • “Basques are all who feel part of the Basque cultural community, regardless of whether they consider them a people or not.” This definition also leaves it to the individual to decide what he is. Here, too, a certain objective reference to the Basque Country (language, place of residence, cultural activities, etc.) is assumed in practice, that is, self-positioning is not enough.
  • “Basques are people with a Basque name who were born in the Basque Country.” This definition contains two of the problems already mentioned: on the one hand, the geographical extent of the Basque Country and, on the other, the linguistic assignment of names. The latter is usually not a major problem in practice, and since this is a conservative Basque nationalist definition, the Basque Country is mostly understood in the sense of all provinces of the Basque settlement area. This definition disregards the individual self-definition and lived culture.
  • “Basques are people with (predominantly) Basque ancestry” (compare Art. 116 of the Basic Law : Germans in the sense of the Basic Law). This definition does not resolve the conflict between the above, as the identity of the ancestors must also be defined. It raises the question of how many generations are to be considered and ignores self-identification and lived culture.

language

The Basque language can be described as an isolated language because no original relationship to other languages ​​has been found in Europe or worldwide . From this some scholars conclude that the Basques represent the remainder of a population that has been affected by the spread of the Indo-European languages in the rest of Europe . Some scholars, including the German scholar Theo Vennemann and the mathematician Peter Forster, see certain linguistic similarities to other European languages ​​( Vasconic hypothesis ). They therefore suspect that Europe was settled by the original Basques from the Iberian-Southern French region after the last cold period (Ice Age) and that three quarters of all Europeans are genetically related to the Basques.

Regional distribution

Differences in the Basque-speaking proportion of the population

In the years 2000/2001, population censuses were carried out in Spain and France, which also provide information on the recent numerical development of the Basque language usage.

For the small French part of the Basque Country, Basque Ipar Euskal Herria (" North Basque Country "), about 82,000 (bilingual) speakers of Basque are given for 2001 out of a total population of 246,000, i.e. a third.

Of the 2,123,000 inhabitants of the Basque Autonomous Community , around 27% speak Basque, between 570,000 and 580,000. The number of those who put their Basque identity above Spanish citizenship is higher, but also less than 50% of the total population.

In the autonomous community of Navarre , Basque Nafarroa , a considerable part of the population speaks Basque in the mountainous north, but only a few in the other parts, so that the proportion of Basque speakers is only 12%, 61,166 of the approximately 600,000 inhabitants.

Basque-speaking population

Survey of the state “CIS” (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas) in the Basque Autonomous Community

A survey of 2,466 citizens in the three provinces of the Basque Autonomous Community in 2005 showed the following results: Of the respondents were able to

  • 53.8% understand Basque,
  • 41.4% read it
  • 37.2% speak it fluently and
  • 33.7% write Basque correctly.

Of the same 2,466 people named themselves

  • 26% exclusively as Basques,
  • 21.8% more as Basques than Spaniards,
  • 38.5% equally as Basques and Spaniards,
  • 4.3% more Spaniards than Basques,
  • 3.8% exclusively as Spaniards.

(5.6% answered “don't know” or “none of these options apply”.)

The sample had an above-average proportion of Basque speakers compared to the total population.

history

In the introduction to his book, which combines historical and cultural aspects: The Basques. A little world history , writes Mark Kurlansky: “If you consider how small the group of Basques is, they have made considerable contributions to world history. In the age of voyages of discovery they were discoverers who connected Europe with North America, South America, Africa and Asia. When capitalism emerged, they were among the first capitalists and experimented with duty-free international trade and price competition to break monopolies. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution they became leading industrialists: shipbuilders, steelmakers and manufacturers. Today, in the age of globalization, they are equipped for a world without borders, even if they continue to cling to their ancient tribal identity. "

Pre-Roman languages:
- dark green Aquitaine (Altbask.)
- light green Iberian
- bright blue Celtiberian

Since related texts in the Basque language have only been preserved since the 16th century, historical knowledge about the Basques is largely based on Roman sources and descriptions in neighboring languages. A much-cited coin find from the 2nd century BC. BC does not show the Basques' own name, but the external name "Ba-S-Ku-NES". In texts from the Roman Empire, the tribes Vascones and Avsci are mentioned, the latter in Aquitaine outside of today's Basque-speaking area. Pre-Roman place names are also mentioned, which consist of Basque words, for example Eliumberrum ("new town") for today's Auch . In his report on the conquest of De Bello Gallico , Caesar distinguished this Aquitaine from Gaul proper in the very first sentence. Parts of these tribes were romanized. Latin provincial dialects emerged, which were shaped by Basque pronunciation habits.

Since the Migration Period , large parts of Gaul and today's Spain have belonged to the Visigoth Empire , but not the Basque Country and the north coast of the Iberian Peninsula . When the Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula from 711 and advanced as far as Poitiers , Charlemagne founded the Spanish Mark to protect the Franconian Empire . Now the Basques were navigating the border between two power blocs. And according to historical knowledge, it was the Basques who defeated and killed the Carolingian margrave Roland in the high valley of Roncesvalles ( Orreaga in Basque ) and thus provided the material for the Roland song. North and south of the Pyrenees, however, the Basques were politically united only once in their history: at the beginning of the 11th century under King Sancho III. (* around 990, ruled 1000-1035), the "King of all Basques".

In accordance with the geographical conditions of their settlement area, the Basques were active in pre-industrial times primarily as (mountain) farmers with a pronounced sense of autonomy and independence as well as fishermen and seafarers. In doing so, they reached the abundant fishing grounds in the far north and also participated in early modern expeditions and as conquistadors in Central and South America for the emerging colonial power of Spain. In relation to the Spanish crown they claimed and received special rights for self-government for centuries: the fueros . Another special feature in the history of the Basques is the early civil law equality of women. Their everyday work aroused astonishment in Wilhelm von Humboldt : “In consideration of the hard work, both genders seem to have switched roles in Biscaya and especially in the French Basque Country. Nowhere did I see so much laborious work done as here [...]; In Bilbao, when the ships are unloaded, they carry the heaviest loads, especially iron bars, with which there is often trade, on their heads from the river into the vaults; even in forges I saw her busy with the hammer. "

Folk dance

Despite all historical setbacks , the Basques in Hegoalde and Euskadi have preserved their claims to self-determination as well as nationality , both against the absolutist attacks of the Spanish crown and in view of the repression during the Franco dictatorship . As the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country , the Basques in northern Spain have succeeded in revitalizing Basque culture, embedding the Basque language widely in education and promoting it through a special media offering. ETA's decades of terrorist struggle for complete independence and statehood for the Basques ended in 2018 with self-dissolution.

See also

literature

  • Jacques Allières : Les Basques (= Que sais-je ). Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1977 (updated edition 1985; 11th edition 2003, ISBN 978-2-13053-144-9 ).
  • Louis Charpentier : The Basque Secret. Walter-Verlag, Olten 1977, ISBN 3-530-13300-0 (Original in French: Le mystère basque. Laffont, Paris 1975, ISBN 3-88199-295-2 ).
  • Roger Collins : The Basques . Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford 1986.
  • Jean-Louis Davant : Histoire du peuple basque. Le peuple basque dans l'histoire . Elkar, Bayonne 1986.
  • Michael Kasper: Basque History . 2nd, bibliographically updated edition with a final chapter by Walther L. Bernecker, Darmstadt 2008.
  • Mark Kurlansky: The Basques. A little world history. Munich 2000 (original English language edition: New York 1999).
  • Ibon Zubiaur: How to become a Basque. About the invention of an exotic nation. Berenberg Verlag , Berlin 2015, ISBN 978-3-937834-79-5 (essay).

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Basques are descended from early farmers , Spektrum.de, September 8, 2015
  2. ↑ DNA tests prove: Welsh, Irish and Basques have common ancestors , Wissenschaft.de, April 10, 2001
  3. ↑ Walther L. Bernecker : Ethnic nationalism and terrorism in the Basque Country. (PDF file) 2001, pp. 209, 214, 219 & 239. in No. 60: Contemporary historical backgrounds of current conflicts VIII; Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich.
    Antje Helmerich: Ethnonationalism and the Political Potential of Nationalist Movements. ( Memento from September 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: From Politics and Contemporary History . No. 39, September 20, 2004.
    Heinz-Jürgen Axt: A continent between national and European identity - On political culture in Europe. ( Memento from October 17, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) In: Anneli Ute Gabanyi (Ed.): Transformation states in Europe 1989-1999. Munich (i. E.).
    Peter Waldmann : Violent Separatism. Western European nationality conflicts in a comparative perspective. In: Heinrich August Winkler , Hartmut Kaelble (Ed.): Nationalism - Nationalities - Supranationality. Stuttgart 1993, pp. 82-107.
  4. ↑ For the terms euskaldunak , euskal herritar , euskotarrak see the Spanish Wikipedia: Vasco .
  5. ↑ cf. on the political use of the term Basque people (span. pueblo vasco ) here: Partido Popular (PP) & Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE): Acuerdo por las Libertades y contra el Terrorismo  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: Der Link was automatically marked as broken. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.pp.es   (2000) p. 3: “(…) 3. Durante más de dos décadas de democracia, el pueblo vasco ha desarrollado su capacidad de autogobierno en el marco de la Constitución y del Estatuto de Guernica. Ese marco ha permitido la expresión política, cultural y social de la pluralidad que alberga la sociedad vasca. Cualquier discrepancia política existente entre vascos puede y debe plantearse en ese marco institucional. (…) ”Signed by José María Aznar and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero ( document with signatures  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.pp.es  
  6. ^ Estatuto de Autonomía del País Vasco de 1979
  7. ^ Constitución española de 1978 : “Preámbulo (…) Proteger a todos los españoles y pueblos de España en el ejercicio de los derechos humanos, sus culturas y tradiciones, lenguas e instituciones."
  8. ↑ Constitución española de 1978 : “Artículo 2. The Constitución se fundamenta en la indisoluble unidad de la Nación española, patria común e indivisible de todos los españoles, y reconoce y garantiza el derecho a la autonomía de las nationalidades y yes que la integranola la solidaridad entre todas ellas. "
  9. ↑ Der Spiegel 15/2008: Bulwark of the Basques (Walter Mayr) p. 140ff.
  10. ↑ Article: Ethnically on the sidelines. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. February 29, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  11. ↑ After the end of the Franco dictatorship, Spain was divided into autonomous communities (Comunidades Autónomas), which roughly correspond to the German federal states. They mostly cover several provinces. Navarre and a few others are only made up of a single province
  12. ↑ Basques as remnants of pre-Indo-European Europe ( memento of October 12, 2004 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ “Spectrum of Science” (May 05/2002), Chapter 1. Linguistics (title topic): Original language of the Europeans - Basque once ruled the continent, pp. 32–40 2. Genetically we are all Basques, pp. 41–44
  14. ↑ La mitad de los vascos aboga por la redacción de un nuevo Estatuto, según una encuesta del CIS , article in El País of June 24, 2005 (Spanish), CIS website
  15. ↑ Kurlansky: 2000, p. 13.
  16. ↑ There are written finds in Aquitanian (Old Baskish) language, written in Iberian syllabary , but these are limited to names of persons and gods.
  17. ↑ Pomponius Mela : "Nam a Pyrenaeo ad Garumnam, Aquitani [...] Aquitanorum clarissimi sunt Ausci [...] Urbes opulentissimae in Auscis Eliumberrum" (III 15) "The Aquitanians stretch from the Pyrenees to the Garonne [...] The Ausci are the most important Aquitans [...] The most prosperous city is Eliumberrum , with the Ausci "
  18. ↑ This is how, for example, today's French regional language Gascon came about.
  19. ^ Wilhelm von Humboldt: Works in five volumes. Edited by Andreas Flitner and Klaus Giel, Darmstadt 1961, Volume 2: Writings on antiquity and aesthetics. The Vasken. P. 433.
  20. ↑ "The proportion of bilingual five- to fourteen-year-olds doubled in the Euskadi region between 1981 and 1991 from 19.7% to 38.7% and also increased in Navarra from 12.1% to 14.7%." (Michael Kasper : Basque History . 2nd edition, Darmstadt 2008, p. 207)