Spanish Identity in the Age of Nations

Spanish Identity in the Age of Nationsoffers the first comprehensive account in any language of the formation and development of Spanish national identity from ancient times to the present. Much has been written on French, British and German nationalism, but remarkably little has been published on Spanish nationalism. Paradoxically, even in Spain there is much more on Basque, Catalan and other regional nationalisms than on Spanish identity. As a result, this study fills an enormous gap in the literature on Spanish history. This book traces the emergence and evolution of an initial collective identity within the Iberian Peninsula from the Middle Ages to the end of the ancient regime based on the Catholic religion, loyalty to the Crown and Empire. The adaptation of this identity to the modern era, beginning with the Napoleonic Wars and the liberal revolutions, forms the crux of this study. Nonetheless, the book also embraces the highly contested evolution of the national identity in the twentieth century, including both the Civil War and the Franco Dictatorship. Alvarez-Junco's pioneering study was awarded both the National Prize for Literature in Spain and the Fastenrath Prize by the Spanish Royal Academy

Jos lvarez-Junco is Professor of History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Preface * Introduction * I - THE ORIGINS OF THE NATION *  Ethnic patriotism *  Factors conditioning inherited identity * The “war of independence”: a promising beginning * II - THE NATIONALISATION OF CULTURE * National history and collective memory * The arts and sciences enlisted in support of the nation * III - CONSERVATIVE OPINION: BETWEEN RELIGION AND THE NATION * Catholicism and españolismo: from the Antiguo Régimen to Fernando VII * The “Two Spains” * IV - THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF SPANISH NATIONALISM IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY * An identity in search of a purpose * The “crisis of penetration” of the State * Heading towards “Disaster” * Bibliography * Index