A few brief additions of note ...
Catalonia has its own language that was suppressed during General Francisco Franco’s 1939-75 dictatorship.
The name Catalonia dates back to the 10th Century, so this identity is nothing recent.
Catalonia was swept into a “greater spain” when King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Queen Isabella I of Castile married in 1469. Political power gradually centered on the Spanish crown, at the expense of Catalonia.
Catalonia revolted in the mid-1600s.
Since 1978 Catalonia has achieved more autonomy when it was defined as a “nationality” in the Spanish Constitution, but of course is subject to Spain’s power.
The economy is robust and is the strongest in Spain.
Best I can do as a summary. There is an extensive history going back through all Europe’s history, which has no exterminated the language, independence or culture.
I’m rooting for them.
Catalan was dying out on its own long before Franco had anything to do with it. It was deliberately revived, as was Basque, early in the 20th century.
Franco squashed the 20th century trend to separatist nationalism, because he was a Spanish Nationalist, and because the separatists made deals with the desperate Republican government. It all came back after Franco.
One reason for separatism now is that the Spanish government, since it joined the EU, has been unable to shield the Catalans and Basques (their manufacturing industries) from foreign competition with tarriff barriers; that, plus the guarantee of a protected national market, was part of the unwritten deal keeping them in the union.