Catalan ideoscape. Perceptive analysis of the Catalan separatist movement through geo-visual research

Abstract

The Autonomous Community of Catalonia is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees Mountain in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. In recent years the region has seen political tensions due to the growth of the independence movement that led to the unilateral declaration of independence from the Kingdom of Spain. Such self-declaration was not followed by effective independence of Catalunya despite the referendum in 2017, promoted by the governor of the Generalitat de Catalunya Carles Puigdemont. The aim of this research is to analyze the so called ideoscape of some significant places of Catalunya. The metodological approach consists of the application of visual research techniques in a geopolitcal perspective. Following a photographical survey, the images were inserted in a database and geolocalized in an online multimedia map via the open-source version of Arcgis. Successively, a qualitative and semiotic analysis of the photographic database was carried out.