Between Region and Nation: Shifting Communities and Identities in Medieval Catalonia, Silesia, and Transylvania

ABSTRACT: Why did some regional communities in Europe become nations during the Middle Ages? This article offers a comparative analysis of Catalonia (now part of Spain), Silesia (a region now divided among Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic), and Transylvania (part of present-day Romania: all were multi-ethnic, multi-religious communities situated among competing political entities. It examines three main identity-building processes: the geopolitical conditions influencing cohesion or disintegration; ethnic, cultural, and social relations within the community; and forms of group identity declarations. It argues that the identities of these communities were not determined by geographical, cultural, or ethnic factors; their histories during this period did not lead to the emergence of a single type of identity that would be recognized by its members as the ultimate expression of its existence. However, the use of a single language in official and private communications by the majority of the population, and the dominance of a defined cultural model, could and did strengthen the stability of community identities. At the same time, the capacity to redefine community identity also influenced their endurance under changing political circumstances.