The Reinvention of Spain: Nation and Identity Since DemocracyUnravelling the debate about the Spanish nation and its identity in the new democracy, this book looks at the issue as both a historical debate and a contemporary political problem, particularly complex due to the legacy of the Francoist Dictatorship which deeply eroded the legitimacy of Spanish nationalism. During and since the transition Spanish nationalist discourse has evolved to meet the challenge of new concepts of nation and identity. These formulations argue very different configurations of the relationship between nation and state. While the Constitution of 1978 defines Spain as a nation of nationalities, many politicians and intellectuals now claim that Spain is a nation of nations, others that it is a nation of nations and regions, or a post-traditional nation state, or post-national state. For the peripheral nationalists, it is merely a state of nations and regions. What is at issue is not whether Spain exists or not as a nation; rather, it is the traditional ways of seeing Spain from both the centre and the periphery that are being challenged. The Reinvention of Spain examines the ways in which Spanish and regional identities are projected and how influence the external actions of the Spanish state. It also analyses the dynamic of comparative grievance and competition between regions deriving from the peculiar architecture of the state in Spain, and their effect on social and political cohesion. Finally, it examines scenarios of change that might foster solutions but asserts that Spain will continue to reinvent itself. |
Contents
1 Is Spain a Nation? A Dialogue of the Deaf | 1 |
Spanish Nationalism before Democracy 18081977 | 17 |
3 Spain Reconstituted or the Semantic Battle of Nationalisms | 45 |
the View from the Left | 72 |
the View from the Right | 98 |
Identities in Catalonia and the Basque Country | 127 |
7 Spains International Projection | 161 |
8 Spain Reinvented | 196 |
205 | |
233 | |
Other editions - View all
The Reinvention of Spain: Nation and Identity since Democracy Sebastian Balfour,Alejandro Quiroga No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
According administration America argued attempt autonomous communities autonomy Aznar Basque Country Basque nationalists became become called Catalan Catalonia cent century citizens Civil claimed communities competencies concept conservative Constitution continued created cultural debate defined demands democracy democratic devolution dictatorship discourse early economic efforts elites emergence ethnic Europe European Euskadi existence expression fact federal forces foreign policy Franco Francoist further global historical idea immigrants important independence institutions integration issue Italy language largely leader liberal majority means military myth narrative national identity nationalist official organization PaĆs particular parties past patriotism peripheral Plan played political popular present problem promote proposed provinces PSOE question recent reform regime regional relations represented Republican response result rhetoric role Second sense shared social socialists society solidarity Spain Spaniards Spanish nation Statute symbols territorial traditional transition turn