Xosé Manuel Beiras
Encyclopedia
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, Galicia, 7 April 1936) - commonly known as Xosé Manuel Beiras or simply Beiras - is a Galician
Galician people
The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia in north-western Spain. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, and Castilian Spanish.-Political and administrative divisions:...
politician, economist, writer and intellectual. He is professor of Structural Economy at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela
University of Santiago de Compostela
The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
. Former member of the National Council of the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG in the Galician acronym), he is at present leader of Encontro Irmandinhohttp://www.encontroirmandinho.org/, an organization within BNG.
Academic life
Beiras graduated in Law in 1958 at the University of Santiago de CompostelaUniversity of Santiago de Compostela
The Royal University of Santiago de Compostela - USC is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. A second campus is located in Lugo, Galicia....
. That same year he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study economics. He also studied French literature at the University of the Sorbonne (1960). In 1961 he joined the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
to further expand his knowledge on the field of economy. In 1966 he completed a research course on economics with François Perrou at the Institut de Sciencie Economique Apliquée (Paris). While in France, he became acquainted with Robèrt Lafont
Robèrt Lafont
Robèrt Lafont was an Occitan intellectual from Provence. He was a linguist, an author, an historian, an expert in literature and a political theoretician. His name in French reads Robert Lafont....
's concept of "internal colonialism
Internal colonialism
Internal colonialism is a notion of structural political and economic inequalities between regions within a nation state. The term is used to describe the uneven effects of economic development on a regional basis, otherwise known as "uneven development", and to describe the exploitation of...
", a concept that would embed his political discourse in the years to come.
He was the vice-director of the Revista de Economia da Galiza ("Galician Journal of Economics") from 1963 to 1968. In 1967 he was granted with a prize from Casa Galiza of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for his book O problema do desenrolo na Galiza rural (The Problem of Development in Rural Galicia). In 1968 he moved back to Galicia permanently, where he took up a job as lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in economy at the University of Santiago de Compostela. In 1970, while spending a few months in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, he published his doctoral thesis with the title Estructura y problemas de la poblacion gallega ("Structure and problems of the Galician population"). This thesis granted him the post of associate-professor in Structural Economy.
In 1972 he published one of this key works: O atraso económico da Galiza ("The Economic Underdevelopment of Galicia"), and he was offered the post of temporary Dean, a position he eventually accepted in 1975. While still publishing books, he directed a research project on the modernization of Galian agriculture sponsored by the Pedro Barrié de la Maza foundation and the University of Montpellier
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier was a French university in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région of the south of France. Its present-day successor universities are the University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 University and Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III.-History:The university...
. In 1977 he was invited to join the Real Academia Galega
Real Academia Galega
The Royal Galician Academy is an institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language; it promulgates norms of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary and works to promote the language. The Academy is based in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. The current president is...
(The Royal Galician Academy) – the institution he would leave in 1982 as he disagreed with the linguistic policies endorsed by the Academy (and following the example of Carvalho Calero). In 1980 he became head professor of Structural Economy at the University of Santiago de Compostela, where Beiras still remains today. The 1980s were prolific in publications not just related to economics or politics, but also literary. He would even publish translations from French classics into Galician.
Life in politics
As a politician he was one of the founding members of the clandestine Galician Socialist Party, in 1963, still during the Franco dictatorship. In 1964 he took on the role of International Relations, a position which would grant him access to a number of European SocialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
organizations. He would eventually become Secretary General of the party in 1971. Yet, he resigned in 1977 due to the bad results in the first democratic elections of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
after the death of Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
.
In 1982 Beiras takes part in the foundation of the BNG
Bloque Nacionalista Galego
The Galician Nationalist Bloc is a Galician nationalist coalition of political parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic front".Formed in 1982, under the guidance of historical leader Xosé Manuel Beiras, the BNG advocates for further devolution of powers to the Parliament of Galicia and the...
(Galician Nationalist Bloc) as member of the National Directive Board. In 1985 he gained a seat at the Galician Parliament and gradually became the indisputable leader of Galician nationalism
Galician nationalism
Galician nationalism is a political movement arguing for the recognition of Galicia as a nation. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at the beginning of the twentieth century from the idea of Galicianism.- Ideology :...
. Beiras took the party to its best results ever in 1997, receiving the support of almost 25 per cent of the electorate. In 2004 he established a number of pacts with nationalist parties from Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
in order to gain greater media coverage and, most importantly, joint political weight in the Spanish Parliament. That same year, 2004, he decided to renounce to the candidacy for the Galician presidency
President of Galicia
Under the Galician Statute of Autonomy, the President of the Xunta of Galicia is the head of the government of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia...
for the next elections and gradually leaves active politics. However, being unhappy with the internal dynamics of BNG shortly after he yielded leadership, he fostered a critical organization within it - the Encontro Irmandinho - in order to promote party transparency and internal democracy.
After abandoning the first line of BNG, Beiras has been actively involved in anti-globalization
Anti-globalization
Criticism of globalization is skepticism of the claimed benefits of the globalization of capitalism. Many of these views are held by the anti-globalization movement however other groups also are critical of the policies of globalization....
movements such as Altermundo and the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
(WSF) http://www.anosaterra.org/nova/beiras-no-debate-para-espallar-o-foro-social-mundial.html. In 2008 he was invited to join the Council of the WSF http://firgoa.usc.es/drupal/node/40670/print. Beiras is also the co-founder and president of the politically-oriented foundation Galiza Sempre, since 1999.
Beiras as an author
He has published a large number of books and articles in politics and economics, but as an intellectualIntellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
Beiras has also shown an interest in literature and music (he is an accomplished pianist). He contributed to the creation of publishing houses such as Editorial Galaxia and Edicións Laiovento. At present he is a regular columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
of newspaper Galicia Hoxe
Galicia Hoxe
Galicia Hoxe was a Galician newspaper from Santiago de Compostela written in Galician. Founded in January 1994, it was formerly called O Correo Galego. It changed its name to Galicia Hoxe in May 2003, and closed down on 28th June 2011, due to financial reasons....
. Occasionally he publishes in the newspaper A Nosa Terra
A Nosa Terra
A Nosa Terra is a Galician weekly newspaper founded in 1977 and published in Vigo. It is known for its leftist stance and its closeness to Galician Nationalism....
and in the prestigious Galician cultural journal Grial.
Selected works
- Antígona (translation into Galician of Jean AnouilhJean AnouilhJean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1943 play Antigone, an adaptation of Sophocles' Classical drama, that was seen as an attack on Marshal Pétain's...
's Antigone, with Xosé Luís Franco Grande), 1959 - O problema do desenrolo na Galiza rural, 1967
- Introducción á economía galega de hoxe (Beiras et al.), 1969
- Estructura y problemas de la población gallega, 1970
- O atraso económico de Galiza, 1972
- A Galiza rural na encrucillada, 1975
- Contaminación industrial e desenvolvimento, 1975
- O atraso e Nós. Aportación para un debate encol o atraso económico, 1982
- Dende Galiza: Marx. Homenaxe a Marx no 1º centenario da súa morte (Beiras et al.), 1984
- Por unha Galiza liberada, 1984
- Constitución española e nacionalismo galego: unha visión socialista, 1985
- Cartas a un amigo alemán (translation into Galician of Albert CamusAlbert CamusAlbert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
' Lettres à un ami allemand), 1987 - Os xustos (translation into Galician of Albert CamusAlbert CamusAlbert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
' Les Justes), 1987 - Prosas de combate e maldicer, 1991
- O estado da nación, 1996
- A poboación galega no século XX (et A. López Rodríguez), 1999
External links
- Encontro Irmandinho
- Bloque Nacionalista Galego
- Fundación Galiza Sempre
- Beira's personal section in Altermundo.
See also
- Galician nationalismGalician nationalismGalician nationalism is a political movement arguing for the recognition of Galicia as a nation. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at the beginning of the twentieth century from the idea of Galicianism.- Ideology :...
- Galician Nationalist Bloc