ABSTRACT
The modern notion of sovereignty developed in tandem with the post-Westphalian state system and with its systematic use of violence. This chapter analyses the Basque case and sets it within the broader historical horizon of changing concepts of sovereignty. It explores the historical trajectory of the term 'sovereignty', and considers some of the competing meanings currently associated with it. The time frame spans from 1959, when a 'rupture' within underground Basque nationalism gave rise to Euskadi 'ta Askatasuna (ETA), until 2011, when ETA announced a definitive unilateral cessation of armed struggle. In the everyday Basque experience, the militancy associated with ETA has had a significant impact on perceptions of national sovereignty, with ETA raising the demand for Basque sovereignty as their key political objective. This has certainly had a great impact on the way 'sovereignty' began to be conceived, especially by the younger generations.
