Unpacking Western Anticolonialism: Jagi-Jagi and the Second Spanish Republic, 1931–6

Abstract

This article explores the appropriation of anticolonial language by the Basque radical newsletter and organization Jagi-Jagi (Arise-Arise). Although Jagi-Jagi initially emerged under the doctrine of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in 1932, the newsletter and organization offered a more radical form of nationalism than the official party, which during the Second Spanish Republic sought the approval of a Basque Statue of Autonomy. One of the most visible features of Jagi-Jagi's radicalism was its anticolonialism, a facet that scholars have previously failed to explore. Jagi-Jagi constantly equated the situation of the Basque Country to that of other colonies and condemned both internal and international colonialism. This article explores both the national and international dimensions of Jagi-Jagi's anticolonialism and considers the motives behind such anticolonial claims. It also analyses the set of complex and often-contradictory ideas that existed within Jagi-Jagi's discourses on race and claims that they responded to the different uses of Basque anticolonialism. The case study of Jagi-Jagi and its racial discourse serve to elucidate the complexities of western anticolonialism.