Here is PostIndependence > #BeingHereWeAreHere book cover in English that will be presented on 23rd and 26th June. More info: www.postindependence.org and www.translokal.com

1. PostIndependence > #BeingThereWeAreHere
Dr Igor Calzada
By TransloKal
Academic Entrepreneurship for Policy-Making Publishing
Ekintzailetasun Akademikoa Herrigintzarako
http://www.translokal.com
What if we were an independent territory? What if, starting today, we began to reflect on independence the
very next day after it and started on translating it in action? This is what PostIndependence is
(http://www.PostIndependence.org). To that end, the author believes that it is essential that connections with
other territories should be bolstered via projects in order to develop a strategic coherent vision and create a
place that we would like in the world.
In Europe, milestone changes are taking place in which the right for territories to decide their own future and
democratic choices for devolution and independence are becoming key issues. Thus, the rescaling of
multilevel governance in the EU remains a priority in the European political agenda. In this direction, this
book aims to visualize the Basque Country from the outside and from an international point of view by
presenting its realistic choices and inner contradictions with the help of academic constructive,
transformational and entrepreneurial contributions.
a) What’s going on? Independence is not a black and white goal but, rather, a way or a democratic
process. Independence referendums, which advocate the right to decide, should be democratic
processes that ought to be linked with pragmatic territorial strategy and policies. Hence, in de facto
independence, the nitty-gritty would be to ask what factor of the governance model would change
from today. It would be a matter of preparing for contexts and building the new scenario in our day-
to-day routine, beyond mere generic proclaims and pronouncements.
b) In the Basque Country? The Basque Country is a complex and diverse territory. Nowadays, the age
of political violence is coming to an end while it is pursuing the beginning of the Post-Violence
Political age. As peaceful coexistence is being gradually achieved, and although the Basque Country
has been making tremendous progress both functionally and pragmatically, we have not been able to
live up any shared strategic vision to the Basque City-Region (Euskal Hiria) metaphor as put forward
by the Basque writer Atxaga (www.euskalhiria.org). In other words, we have been unable to deal
with the diverse complexity of a divided and irregular territory. As a result, short-term disagreement
diminishes our activity while we are being slowed down by idealistic discourses in the long-term.
The Basque Country is a victim of its internal inertia. That is why we ought to put the Basque writer
Sarrionandia’s #BeingThereIAmHere mantra into effect in the Basque Country by gathering the
necessary activity of the wide network of the international Basque TransLokal entrepreneurs. We
should behave as a permeable territory that is open to the world by having ongoing external
relations. The international wind turning into fresh air inside while the air inside blowing out outside.
The book researches the international role of various Basque entities such as MCC, Basque Clubs
(Euskal Etxeak), Etxepare Institute, DSS2016, Tabakalera, Clusters, and SPRI, among others. For
that purpose, the author wishes to be the herald for people in bypassing organisations. To that end,
the author combines the testimony and contributions of several Basque authors and international
authors.
c) What for? This contribution, which was undertaken in an academic context aimed at a broad
audience, strives to be 100 per cent transformative and entrepreneurial. This book applies the Action
Research technique. That is to say, the author makes a comparison between eight territories where he
has been carrying out research since 2012. These territories include the Basque Country, Catalonia,
Scotland, Dublin, Portland, Oresund, and Liverpool/Manchester. The main conclusion is that, rather
than an institutional act, in order for the process of the Basque Country’s independence to be
associated with high democratic values; an international community of Basque TransloKal
entrepreneurs should be set up. In other words, insofar as de facto independence is accepted per se,
the democratic quality of the process should be laid by focusing on the scalability of the strategic
content. For that purpose, the author calls for an ongoing and thorough comparison
(www.cityregions.org). This project has received institutional and technical support from the
University of Oxford (UK) -Future of Cities, COMPAS, InSIS eta Oxford Martin School-, RSA
Regional Studies Association, Ikerbasque –Basque Foundation for Science- and the Basque
Government.