1 October 2017 was a turning point in Catalonia. Over two and a half million people decided to vote in the self-determination referendum in an act of civil disobedience against the Spanish state. That day became a great celebration in defence of freedom of expression and democratic rights. A moving and striking event that unfortunately will be remembered for the harshness with which it was repressed by the state forces.
The philosopher Marina Garcés, in her essay Nova Il·lustració radical, talks about the perfect utopia in which we live: a smart world full of stupid inhabitants where everything is perfectly established and nothing can be questioned. But what happens when the system is challenged? In Catalonia some of the social activists, politicians and artists that have advocated this attitude and acted on it have been charged, imprisoned or have gone into exile.
In this exceptional situation, we have invited several figures from the artistic and intellectual world in our country to reflect on it by discussing concepts such as democracy, freedom of expression, censorship, violence, revolution and memory.
