The book was presented on January 23 by Julia Ojeda, one of the three editors of the book. He was accompanied by the director of Lorea Agirre Sabio, the general secretary of the Basque Council, Idurre Eskisabel, and the historian Cira Crespo. The presentation of the book was organized by Sabes, the Basque Council and Berria.

The editors of the book Màtria o barbárie were Júlia Ojeda Caba, Anna Punsoda Ricart and Marta Roqueta-Fernàndez. The book is written by 30 women. All the writers are politicized women in the era of the pro-independence process and the fourth wave of feminism.

The title contains the main message of the Matriots who want to build the Matrix. It is necessary to build the matrix because “this place or area is the only option to respond to historical irresponsibility, from feminism and nationalism.” Ojeda draws the barbarie: Spanish nationalism, which oppresses Catalan nationalism; a very masculine and patriarchal nationalism, an increasingly Spanish feminism, and linguistic oppression, “the use of Catalan is falling.” For Ojeda, “it’s time to rethink another place.” She insists that Catalan nationalism and feminism must go hand in hand, because “neither of them will thrive without mutual support.” The proponents of the project Matriotism seek to build the Catalan nationalism from the foundations of intersectional feminism.

“We didn’t invent anything”

One of the four participants said this phrase: “We didn’t invent anything.” They were talking about both the Catalan Country and the Basque Country. That is to say, they were talking about building a new vision rather than creating feminist nationalism, for which they have focused on the women of previous generations. Ojeda recalls the Catalan poet and writer Maria Mercè Marçal, who is often mentioned when talking about intersectionality, while she analyses and claims to update the heritage of Catalan women.

The book is in Catalan and can be purchased on the website of the publishing house Angle

In February 2024 Cira Crespo interviewed Júlia Ojeda on this and other topics: “We lack the discourses to face the great waves of globalization”