La identidad insular, elemento particular de les Illes Balears. El caso de Eivissa

Abstract

This thesis investigates contemporary history using political science as a frame of reference. Its purpose is to understand the insular identity of the Balearic Islands, with a focus on the Island of Eivissa. This issue has gained relevance in present times since it helps understand the current political culture and the development of social capital in the Island. The thesis builds its theoretical backbone on the concept of insularism since this is a key concept in the understanding of the symbolic burden of the Balearic Islands citizenship. The first chapter introduces the objectives and hypotheses of the research project, and the second chapter shows the methodology and the sources utilized to explore the insular identity as an idiosyncratic characteristic of the Balearic Islands. The third chapter focuses on the theoretical framework and on the description and analysis of important notions that influence insular identity. This is followed by a description of the theoretical framework that is required to understand the concept of insular identity, its symbolic loading and on addressing the relationship between insular identity and political culture. This relationship largely explains the relationships between all the elements studied in this research. Different elements that help to explain both the predominant insular identity as well as the effects of this insular identity in the insular political and social development, thus giving a justification to the connection between all the following chapters. The fourth chapter offers a macro view through the comparative analysis of two island territories: The Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. This exercise helps us visualize the development of identity and its consequences. The main reference for this analysis is the study carried out by Eve Hepburn in which she comparatively analyzes different island regions and their demands for autonomy and sovereignty. Our study utilizes the same variables as Hepburn, but in addition, it also studies the impact of an autonomous archipelago party, which the Balearic Islands have but the Canary Islands do not. We also analyze the «Linz-Moreno question», which is often included in CIS surveys, that usually measures the degree of identification, nationalism or regionalism and, in our case, insularism. Other variables that will be considered in this research will 12 be economic resources, external relations with the State and supranational entities, the role of the Balearic Islands in the administration of the State and factors associated with «islandness». As an important contribution, we link this latter factor to the «malapportionment» index. In chapter V, we use Michael Billing’s theory of banal nationalism and concept of banal insularism to analyze the content of Diario de Ibiza, a local newspaper. We also perform a diachronic analysis of the political system of Eivissa during the Second Republic, focusing on the study of electoral behavior as a key element in political culture. We then conclude with a comparative analyzes of electoral participation at the state, regional and island levels in the aforementioned period, thus combining a diachronic and synchronic dimension. The thesis can be seen a collection of highly interlinked phenomena that both affect and get affected by each other.