Chapter 10: Learning and Working in Basque: Implications for Basque Identity

This chapter discusses the Basque Government’s efforts to increase the use and prestige of the Basque language (“Euskera”) by using a standardized variety of the language in schools and requiring proficiency in the standard for certain public sector jobs. I show that these efforts have helped to increase the prestige and knowledge of Basque; unlike a generation ago, Basque is now present in the public sphere and in official institutions, and free instruction in—or through—Euskera is widely available. I also show that these efforts are having contradictory gender effects when it comes to the appeal of speaking Euskera. That is, schools implicitly privilege male speakers and masculinity in their portrayals of Basque identity; nonetheless, revitalization efforts have contributed to an inter-generational increase in the use of Euskera by girls and young women. I will first provide some background on Basque nationalism, Basque language loss, and efforts to reverse Basque language shift (RLS). Second, I show that Basque RLS efforts have helped to increase the prestige and knowledge of Basque. Third, I discuss how schools in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) promote an androcentric vision of the Basque speaker and nation. Fourth, I show how the employment opportunities requiring Basque are gendered in such a way as to favor Euskera use by women. Finally, I discuss the implications of this study for Basque identity, and I explore the theoretical implications of the Basque case for movements that try to reverse language shift (RLS).