Conflicting nationalist traditions and immigration: the<scp>B</scp>asque case from 1950 to 1980

Abstract

Abstract Immigration from the different regions in S pain to the B asque C ountry has traditionally opposed B asque and S panish nationalism. This article provides an overview of the discourse of both nationalist traditions with respect to the intra‐regional migration movement of the second half of the twentieth century as well as of the resulting controversy. Whereas the Basque nationalist movement claims to have defended the need to integrate immigrants since the middle of the twentieth century, particularly through politics, S panish nationalism claims that B asque nationalism has helped marginalise these same immigrants. A qualitative analysis is used to contrast this controversy by consulting the opinion of the S panish immigrants who settled in the B asque C ountry and did not avail of the political integration proposed by B asque nationalism. The main conclusion is that these immigrants tend to avoid the heart of the matter of discord between both nationalist traditions, granting little importance to political and cultural elements though stressing their social integration in the B asque C ountry.