Xosé Manuel Hixinio Beiras Torrado (born 7 April 1936) is a Galician politician, economist, writer and intellectual. He is professor of Structural Economy at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the

University of Santiago de Compostela , established = , type = Public , budget = €228 million (2011) , rector = Prof. Dr. Antonio López Díaz , city = Santiago de Compostela , state = Galicia , country = Spain , undergrad = 23,835 , postgrad = 1,716 , doctoral = 2,697 , ...

. He is a former member of the National Council of the

Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( gl, Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG ) is a political alliance of left-wing Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic front". Formed in 1982, under the guidance of historical leader Xosé Man ...

(BNG in the Galician acronym), he is currently the leader of

Renewal–Nationalist Brotherhood Renewal–Nationalist Brotherhood ( gl, ANOVA–Irmandade Nacionalista, Anova) is a political party in Galicia. Formed in 2012, under the guidance of historical leader Xosé Manuel Beiras, Anova was formed by Encontro Irmandiño (2012 split of the ...

, an independentist political party. He formerly had representation in the

Galician parliament The Parliament of Galicia () is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is formed by 75 deputies (). Deputies are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolution and call ...

Academic life

Beiras graduated with a law degree in 1957 from the

. That same year, he moved to Paris to study economics at the University of the Sorbonne, where he also studied French language and literature. In 1960, he taught his first course on political economy at the

Complutense University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loc ...

and a year later, in 1961, he moved to London to attend the London School of Economics, where he continued to advance his studies. During the 1966/1967 academic year, Beiras received a scholarship from the Juan March Foundation, which allowed him to attend a research course with

François Perroux François Perroux (December 19, 1903 in Saint-Romain-en-Gal – June 2, 1987 in Stains) was a French economist. He was named Professor at the Collège de France, after having taught at the University of Lyon (1928 – 1937) and the University o ...

at the Institut de science économique appliquée (now ) in Paris. During his time in France, he became acquainted with

Robèrt Lafont Robèrt Lafont (; March 16, 1923 in Nîmes – June 24, 2009 in Florence) was a French intellectual from Provence. He was a linguist, an author, an historian, an expert in literature and a political theoretician. His name in French reads Robert ...

's concept of "

internal colonialism Internal colonialism is the uneven effects of economic development on a regional basis, otherwise known as " uneven development" as a result of the exploitation of minority groups within a wider society which leads to political and economic inequali ...

", a concept that would remain embedded in his political discourse for years to come. He was the vice-director of the ''Revista de Economia da Galiza'' ("Galician Journal of Economics") from 1963 to 1968. In 1967, he was granted a prize from Casa Galiza in New York City for his book ''O problema do desenrolo na Galiza rural'' (''The Problem of Development in Rural Galicia''). In 1968 he moved back to Galicia for good, taking up a job as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in economy at the University of Santiago de Compostela. In 1970, while spending a few months in Madrid, he published his doctoral dissertation under the title ''Estructura y problemas de la poblacion gallega'' ("Structure and Problems of the Galician Population"). His dissertation earned him an Extraordinary Doctoral Prize, as well as a position as associate professor in structural economy. In 1972 he published one of his key works, ''O atraso económico da Galiza'' (''"The Economic Underdevelopment of Galicia"''), and was offered the post of temporary

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

, which he finally accepted in 1975. While still publishing books, he directed a research project on the modernization of Galian agriculture sponsored by the Pedro Barrié de la Maza foundation and the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

. In 1977 he was invited to join the ''

Real Academia Galega The Royal Galician Academy ( gl, Real Academia Galega, RAG) is an institution dedicated to the study of Galician culture and especially the Galician language; it promulgates norms of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary and works to promote the la ...

'' (''The Royal Galician Academy'') – the institution he would leave in 1982 as he disagreed with the linguistic policies endorsed by the academy (following the example of

Carvalho Calero Ricardo Carballo Calero ( Ferrol, 1910 – Santiago de Compostela, 1990), self-styled as Ricardo Carvalho Calero from 1981 onward, was a Spanish philologist, academic and writer. He was the first Professor of Galician Language and Literature at ...

). In 1980 Beiras became head professor of structural economy at the University of Santiago de Compostela, where he remains today. In the 1980s, he published prolifically, literary works as well as economics and politics, including translations of French classics into Galician.

Life in politics

As a politician he was one of the founding members of the clandestine

Galician Socialist Party The Socialists' Party of Galicia ( gl, Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia, PSdeG–PSOE) is a centre-left political party in Galicia, Spain. It is the Galician affiliate of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). It defines itself as a Gal ...

, in 1963, in

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...

. In 1964 he took on the role of International Relations, a position which would grant him access to a number of European

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

organizations. He would eventually become Secretary General of the party in 1971. Yet, he resigned in 1977 due to the unfavorable results in the first democratic elections of Spain after the death of

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" Prefix * Franco, a prefix used when ref ...

. In 1982 Beiras tookpart in the foundation of the BNG (Galician Nationalist Bloc) as member of the National Directive Board. In 1985 he gained a seat at the

Galician Parliament The Parliament of Galicia () is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is formed by 75 deputies (). Deputies are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolution and call ...

and gradually became the indisputable leader of

Galician nationalism Galician nationalism is a form of nationalism found mostly in Galicia, which asserts that Galicians are a nation and that promotes the cultural unity of Galicians. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at ...

. Beiras took the party to its best results ever in 1997, receiving the support of almost 25 per cent of the electorate. In 2004 he established a number of pacts with nationalist parties from

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

and Basque Country in order to gain greater media coverage and, most importantly, joint political weight in the Spanish Parliament. That same year, 2004, he decided to renounce his candidacy for the Galician presidency for the next election and gradually leave politics. However, being unhappy with the internal dynamics of BNG shortly after he yielded leadership, he fostered a critical organization within it – the ''Encontro Irmandinho'' – in order to promote party transparency and internal democracy. After abandoning the first line of BNG, Beiras has been actively involved in

anti-globalization The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist m ...

movements such as Altermundo and the

World Social Forum The World Social Forum (WSF, pt, Fórum Social Mundial ) is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemoni ...

(WSF). In 2008 he was invited to join the council of the WSF. Beiras is also a co-founder of the politically oriented

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

''Galiza Sempre'', and its president since 1999.

Writing

Beiras has published a large number of books and articles in politics and economics, but as an intellectual he has also shown an interest in literature and music (he is an accomplished pianist). He contributed to the creation of publishing houses

Editorial Galaxia The Xeración Galaxia (Galaxy Generation) were a group of Galician language writers centred on the Editorial Galaxia (founded 1950) which was established to publish and translate modern texts that would develop Galician national literature. The n ...

and Edicións Laiovento. He is a regular

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the form of a short essay ...

of the newspaper ''

Galicia Hoxe ''Galicia Hoxe'' is a Galician digital newspaper from Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, ...

''. Occasionally he publishes in the newspaper '' A Nosa Terra'' and in the prestigious Galician cultural journal '' Grial''.

Selected works

* ''Antígona'' (translation into Galician of

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an a ...

's ''Antigone'', with Xosé Luís Franco Grande)'', 1959 * ''O problema do desenrolo na Galiza rural'', 1967 * ''Introducción á economía galega de hoxe'' (Beiras et al.), 1969 * ''Estructura y problemas de la población gallega'', 1970 * ''O atraso económico de Galiza'', 1972 * ''A Galiza rural na encrucillada'', 1975 * ''Contaminación industrial e desenvolvimento'', 1975 * ''O atraso e Nós. Aportación para un debate encol o atraso económico'', 1982 * ''Dende Galiza: Marx. Homenaxe a Marx no 1º centenario da súa morte'' (Beiras et al.), 1984 * ''Por unha Galiza liberada'', 1984 * ''Constitución española e nacionalismo galego: unha visión socialista'', 1985 * ''Cartas a un amigo alemán'' (translation into Galician of

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

' ''Lettres à un ami allemand''), 1987 * ''Os xustos'' (translation into Galician of Albert Camus' ''Les Justes''), 1987 * ''Prosas de combate e maldicer'', 1991 * ''O estado da nación'', 1996 * ''A poboación galega no século XX'' (with A. López Rodríguez), 1999

References

* Beramendi, J. and Núñez Seixas, X.M. (1996): ''O nacionalismo galego'', A Nosa Terra, Vigo * Fernández Baz, M.A., (2003): ''A formación do nacionalismo galego contemporáneo (1963–1984)'', Laiovento * Fernán Vello, M.A. and Pillado Maior, F. (2004): ''A estrela na palabra. Novas conversas con Xosé Manuel Beiras'', Edicións Laiovento – Espiral Maior, Santiago de Compostela * Rodríguez Polo, X. R. (2009): ''Ramón Piñeiro e a estratexia do galeguismo''. Xerais, Vigo.

External links