| Summary: | This dissertation explores links between immigration into Catalunya and Catalan nationalism. This topic is important since sixty percent of present day Catalans are immigrants, or their descendants. In this light the following questions are investigated: How has immigration influenced conceptions of Catalunya as a nation? How has Catalan nationalism managed to include these members of its society in the Catalan project? What is 'the Catalan model of integration'? How is the more recent immigration from outside the European Union viewed? How has the notion of 'integration' been translated into citizenship for these immigrants? And, how do immigrants themselves view this process of 'integration'? Earlier literature on immigration in Spain and Catalunya tended to focus on understanding Spain's new role as a country of immigration. These studies were mostly policy-driven and quantitative. Their main aim was to provide a map of immigration in terms of numbers, places of origin and settlement, gender and sectors of employment. This dissertation aims to provide a more historical and wider analysis of the phenomenon. The historical roots of immigration are examined in order to understand the present situation; a more qualitative approach is taken with reference to immigrants' views and experiences; and finally it links issues of immigration to wider debates surrounding citizenship rights and Catalan nationalism. The main results of the dissertation can be summarised as follows: First, Catalan nationalism has been fairly successful in including immigrants in its project; this has been possible because of its civic nature. Accordingly, a person who 'lives and works in Catalunya' is defined as a Catalan. Likewise, the Catalan language has become a core symbol of Catalan nationalism and a key instrument of integration in to Catalan society. Second, an analysis of the debates surrounding 'historic immigration' highlights the way in which the 'Catalan model of integration' developed.
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