Alfred Bosch i Pascual (born 17 April 1961) is a Catalan academic, journalist, author, politician and a former Minister of Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency of

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

. He was previously a member of the

Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and a member of Barcelona City Council.

Early life and family

Bosch was born on 17 April 1961 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. He is the second of five siblings and grew up in the Esquerra de l'Eixample district of Barcelona. He later lived in

Sant Antoni Sant Antoni is a neighborhood in the ''Eixample'' district of Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain). Its non-official centre, the Mercat de Sant Antoni, marketplace of the same name—designed by Antoni Rovira i Trias and built between 1872 and 1882—i ...

before settling in

Ciutat Vella Ciutat Vella (, meaning in English "Old City") is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ''Ciutat Vella'' is nest ...

in the 1980s. He was educated at a British school near Barcelona where he was taught in English. Bosch joined the

Autonomous University of Barcelona The Autonomous University of Barcelona (; Spanish: ; ; UAB) is a public university mostly located in Cerdanyola del Vallès, near the city of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain. , the university consists of 57 departments in the experimental, lif ...

(UAB) in 1979, graduating in 1984 with a degree in philosophy and letters.

Career

In 1984, after graduating from university, Bosch joined the Barcelona team bidding to host the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

and from 1987, after the city was chosen, he worked for Comitè Organitzador de les Olimpíades de Barcelona (COOB'92), the organising committee. Afterwards he moved to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

to research his doctoral

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

and in 1994 he received a Ph.D. degree from the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

after producing a thesis titled ''Nelson Mandela, l'Últim Home-Déu'' (Nelson Mandela, the last Man-God). Bosch joined the UAB in 1995 as a professor of African history. He has taught at several other universities including

Pompeu Fabra University Pompeu Fabra University (, ; ) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. Established in 1990 by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia and named after Pompeu Fabra, it is known for its competitiveness in resea ...

Autonomous University of Madrid The Autonomous University of Madrid (; UAM), commonly known as la Autónoma, is a Spanish public university located in Madrid, Spain. The university was founded in 1968 by royal decree. UAM is widely respected as one of the most prestigious univ ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

Hood College Hood College is a private college in Frederick, Maryland. In fall 2018, Hood enrolled 2,052 students (1,092 undergraduate students; 960 graduate students). Thirty-eight percent of students are either members of under-represented racial or ethni ...

and

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. Between 1984 and 1996 Bosch also travelled the world, working as a free lance journalist reporting on conflicts such as such as

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

South Africa, Palestinian intifada,

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution () began with rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the ouster of the dictatorship in 1978–79, and fighting between the government and the Contras from 1981 to 1990. The revolution r ...

, Sri Lankan Civil War and

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

. His work was published in ''

Avui ''Avui'' (; ) was a Catalan-language daily newspaper, based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was one of the city's newest papers, having been founded in 1976. The editorial line was Catalan nationalist. History and profile ''Avui'' was first publi ...

'', ''

Diario de Barcelona The ''Diario de Barcelona'' (Catalan language, catalán: ''Diari de Barcelona'') (The Barcelona Journal) was a newspaper founded in 1792 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. With a few interruptions it was published in paper form until 1994, and in d ...

'', ''

El Periódico de Catalunya EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

'', ''

El Temps ''El Temps'' (; 'The Times') is a weekly newsmagazine, published in Valencia by ''Edicions del País Valencià'' since 1984. It is distributed throughout the whole Països Catalans. It is edited by Eliseu Climent. The publication has offices in ...

'',

Catalunya Ràdio ''Catalunya Ràdio'' () is Catalonia's public radio network. With headquarters in Barcelona, it is part of the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (CCMA), owned by the Generalitat de Catalunya. Catalunya Ràdio broadcasts exclusively ...

and others. Bosch has written several novels and essays. His 1997 essay ''La Via Africana'' won the Joan Fuster Prize for Essay. The novel ''L'Atles Furtiu'' won the Sant Jordi prize in 1997 whilst ''Les Set Aromes del Món'' won the Ramon Llull Novel Award in 2004. He has also won the Néstor Luján and Prudenci Bertrana prizes.

Politics

In 2010 Bosch became spokesperson for Barcelona Decideix, the organisation behind the 2011 independence referendum in Barcelona. Bosch was one of the founding members of the secretariat of the

Assemblea Nacional Catalana The Assemblea Nacional Catalana (in English: Catalan National Assembly, ANC by its Catalan acronym) is an organization that seeks the political independence of Catalonia from Spain. It also promotes the independence of other Catalan-speaking reg ...

(ANC) in 2011 and he has served on the board of

Òmnium Cultural Òmnium Cultural () is a Spanish association based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It was originally created in the 1960s to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture. Over the years it has increased its involvement in broader political i ...

. Bosch contested the 2011 general election as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes (, ERC–CatSí) was a Catalan pro-independence electoral alliance. The alliance was formed by Republican Left of Catalonia, Catalonia Yes and independents, and in the 2015 and 2016 Spanish genera ...

(ERC–CatSí)

electoral alliance An electoral alliance (also known as a bipartisan electoral agreement, electoral pact, electoral agreement, electoral coalition or electoral bloc) is an association of political parties or individuals that exists solely to stand in elections. E ...

candidate in the

Province of Barcelona Barcelona (; ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The province is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea. Its area is .Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has ...

. He was spokesman for the ERC group in the congress. In 2013, he was suspended from the Congress for addressing it in English as part of a protest against an anti-corruption bill. Bosch contested the 2015 local elections as a

Republican Left of Catalonia The Republican Left of Catalonia (, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also in Valencia, the Balearic Islands and t ...

- Left Movement-Barcelona Open City-Advance- Catalonia Yes-Acord Municipal (ERC-MES-BcnCO-AVANCEM-CatSí-AM) electoral alliance candidate in Barcelona and was elected. In November 2018 he replaced Ernest Maragall as Catalonia's Minister of Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency. He resigned on 9 March 2020 after his chief of staff was accused of harassment of department workers.

Personal life

Bosch is divorced and has two children. He speaks Catalan,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, English, French and Portuguese. He is an amateur opera singer and has taken part in various

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name o ...

and musicals.

Published works

* ''Fulls Impermeables'' (1984) * ''Cronicàlia'' (1986) * ''Nelson Mandela, l'Últim Home-Déu'' (1995, Curial; ) * ''Herois d'Azània'' (1996) * ''La Via Africana'' (1997, E. Climent; ) * ''L'Atles Furtiu'' (1998) * ''Alia la Sublim'' (2000) * ''El Imperio Que Nunca Existió'' (2001) * ''L'Avi'' (2001) * ''1714'' (2002) * ''Europa Sense Embuts'' (2002) * ''Les Set Aromes del Món'' (2004) * ''Heretaràs la Rambla'' (2005) * ''Catalans'' (2006) * ''Inquisitio'' (2006) * ''I Ara Què?'' (2011)

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bosch, Alfred 1961 births Academics of the University of London Autonomous University of Barcelona alumni Academic staff of the Autonomous University of Barcelona Academic staff of the Autonomous University of Madrid Barcelona municipal councillors (2015–2019) Academics from Catalonia Journalists from Catalonia Writers from Catalonia Foreign ministers of Catalonia Hood College faculty Independent politicians in Catalonia Living people Members of the 10th Congress of Deputies (Spain) Politicians from Barcelona Academic staff of Pompeu Fabra University Torra Government University of Barcelona alumni University of Chicago faculty Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand Catalan-language writers