ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the development of Catalan historiography from the perspective of historical sociology. This brings out the close link which binds Catalan historiography to Catalan nationalism. Next, the chapter deals with the portrayal in increasingly nationalistic terms of a multi-faceted conflict which has always set Catalonia against the rest of Spain, and particularly against the political centre embodied by Castile and the capital, Madrid. It then describes the material conditions governing the symbolic effectiveness expected from the distribution of historical material. The existence of a 'meso-government' in Catalonia and the development of the State of Autonomous Communities have recently given a boost to Catalan historiography. The hoped-for effect is to reinforce the legitimacy of this 'meso-government' and the national aspirations of the Catalanists which led it since the Transition period. Following an approach which is more anthropological in nature, the chapter finally describes cultural institutions and events: celebrations of Catalan historians and the new Catalan History Museum.
