Fraternal Catalan-Spanish coexistence at the University of Barcelona (1931-1936). The outstanding contribution of the intellectual group led by Pere Bosch-Gimpera

Abstract

In the 1930s, the University of Barcelona acted as the main institutional platform for a powerful, profoundly reformist intellectual group that openly defended dialogue and coexistence between the Catalan cultural world and that of the rest of Spain, in addition to committing itself to the reform and modernization of the University. The main leader of this group was Pere Bosch-Gimpera. This group of Catalan professors managed to hold key government positions at the Barcelona university between 1931 and 1939. Despite the opposition of important political sectors, they defended and achieved a model of a bilingual (coexistence of Catalan and Spanish) and autonomous university (with extensive powers). These powers made it possible to hire the best Catalan-speaking specialists, as well as a significant number of illustrious non-Catalan Spanish professors, like never before. This made possible an exceptional strengthening, recognized by the protagonists themselves, of the links between the intellectuals of Barcelona and the rest of Spain. This University became the main cultural center that maintained, promoted and protected the Castilian-Catalan intellectual dialogue, in addition to becoming an institution open to the Spanish-speaking world.