Josep Fontana (1931) is one of the most important and influential historians of our time. In his work, the masters of Ferran Soldevila, Jaume Vicens Vives, Ramón Carande and Pierre Vilar converge. The historiographical contribution of Fontana is recognized from many different schools and tendencies at present. In addition to his tireless academic activity, Fontana has participated in numerous cultural projects, such as the founding of the prestigious magazine 'Investigaciones', has been behind magazines such as 'Horizontes', 'Mesa de Cambios' and 'El Adelanto', and has developed an important task in the publishing world (Ariel, Criticism, Past and Present ...).

Dedicated, for many years, to the study of the period of the crisis of the Old Regime and the imposition of the liberal regime, the publication of his doctoral thesis in the form of a book, 'The bankruptcy of the absolute monarchy 1814-1820', had a great impact in historiography inside and outside of Spain. Another thematic block is the works on Catalonia, among which stand out the synthesis books' The end of the Old Regime and industrialization 1787-1868, 'The liberal revolution in Catalonia' (2003) and the numerous works published throughout his academic life on the configuration of contemporary Catalonia.