La lluita continua: socio-political debate and the linguistic landscape of a Catalan city

Recently, the Spanish state has cracked down on efforts to hold a public referendum on independence in Catalonia. To understand the local dimension, this article explores the linguistic landscape (LL) of Girona, a city in northeast Catalonia. In a context of political upheaval in the region, we examine how the ongoing push for independence is manifest in the LL of Girona. Through adopting a qualitative approach to data collection, we attempt to deconstruct how visual modalities, written discourse, spatial arrangements and dimensions of history and culture are used to create meaning and project ideologies, identities and power relations. The study uncovers a number of contesting socio-cultural and socio-political ideologies that circulate in the LL of Girona. Our analysis shows that the LL is a dynamic space where discourses of resistance, counter-resistance and conflict are present as well as new discourses that mirror the most recent debates in the region’s struggle for independence.