(Spain) Spanish Social Movements: What sites and literature can I look into to get up to date with social movements on the ground in Spain currently?

April 21, 2011 2:20 PM

(Spain) Spanish Social Movements: What sites and literature can I look into to get up to date with social movements on the ground in Spain currently?

Let me qualify this a little.

I'm a final-year undergrad student in Massachusetts and have been active on a variety of political issues over the past four years. I am going to Spain (my home country) for a month this summer to participate in a program, and while I'm there, I want to make sure I connect with what's happening on the ground in terms of grassroots organising. I might end up writing about it and/or participating in it, depending on what my schedule looks like when I'm there :)

I know a little bit about Western Sahara solidarity work, though any sources on that would be great. Otherwise, I'm thinking the usual chaotic Lefty-smorgasboard: anti-poverty work, workers' rights struggles/cooperatives (ie, Mondragon in the north of Spain/Basque Country), reproductive rights, housing rights, immigration, and so on. Info on locations of infoshops, community centers, and all manner of open/radical spaces would be welcome.

My general approach is to compile a thousand and one sources from blogs, newspapers, etc. to follow the goings-on in a particular place/region/etc. Problem is, being the expatriate I am (I've lived in the U.S. since I was a wee lad), I am very disconnected from what's happening in Spain, and want to start educating myself ahead of time. So even if it's just a bunch of links to some not-totally-bankrupt news sites, that would be a huge help to me!

I know this might sound like a tall order but I'm really just looking for signposts to orient myself once I get there. Thanks to the hive mind ahead of time :)

posted by parkbench to society & culture (2 answers total)

As the program you are going to seems to be in Barcelona maybe here would be a place to start. However you should be warned that a majority of all political / social action in Barcelona is conducted in the Catalan language.
Here are a few Barcelona NGO's and solidarity.
Alasbarricadas might also be of interest.
Read El Pais to get a general feeling from a centre left perspective.
Politics of Spain does what it says in the title so you can identify the main clowns.
I personally like South of Watford.
Vanguardia indicates a useful map highlighting corruption in Spain. Jose A Perez expresses it this way Españistán: este país se va a la mierda.
posted by adamvasco at 1:54 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

wow, only one answer, but what an answer! thanks so much for the initial pointers.
posted by parkbench at 5:22 PM on April 23, 2011