Do you need research in Basque?

1995/01/01 Sarasola, Kepa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Giza zientziak

According to Kant “Arrain ura eta euskarak bere unibertsitatea”, the duration of our language must coincide with the development of thought and technique.

Two main tasks are distinguished at the University: teaching and research. The need for teaching in Basque has been recognized at the social level and some steps have been taken to implement it. Slow steps, but underway. However, the need for research in Basque is not yet perceived, and paradoxes still arise. For example, the main current criteria for being a permanent university professor are those related to research (theses, publications, projects...), but when the Basque lines are created only the teaching in Basque is ensured. The greatest merit is in research (?? ), special attention should also be paid to this aspect in the Basque lines.

To achieve this goal, the Basque researchers, either by themselves or in collaboration, can work on language, seminars, publications, thesis and theses in Basque. These actions are fundamental. If at first these works are not done with desire and militancy, the research in Basque has a party. But knowing that economic costs are very high, we can say that all these efforts will never be carried out without a high-level tractor policy. What to do? I will mention three different lines.

The first is the preparation of the scientific infrastructure: journals in Basque, terminological works, scientific seminars and congresses must be strengthened or created to build a scientific community that conducts debate and communication in Basque. The second is the creation of research groups. Currently the research unit is the team, which allows the quality of results, interdisciplinarity, training and follow-up of new researchers. The seed of research groups will be sown, which, apart from international communications, will use Basque as a common communication tool in the rest of the works. And the third, the most difficult but the most important: The motto of the research in the Basque Country must be maintained from the Basque Country, both for the definition of priority research topics and for the evaluation of the projects presented by the researchers and the allocation of places of researchers.

Therefore, the organization of a local evaluation agency is essential. If not, as now happens, since the project evaluates the “national” agencies of Madrid, in practice all projects must be presented in Spanish. On the other hand, why not create other types of teachers that may be more useful for teaching and research in Basque?

Getting to Basque University is a terrible but attractive challenge. Militant workers and political decisions are needed. Go ahead! It's time.