Abstract

The history of twentieth-century Spanish nationalism is a complex one, placing a set of famously distinctive regional identities against a backdrop of religious conflict, separatist tensions, and the autocratic rule of Francisco Franco. And despite the undeniably political character of that story, cultural history can also provide essential insights into the subject. Metaphors of Spain brings together leading historians to examine Spanish nationalism through its diverse and complementary cultural artifacts, from “formal” representations such as the flag to music, bullfighting, and other more diffuse examples. Together they describe not a Spanish national “essence,” but a nationalism that is constantly evolving and accommodates multiple interpretations.

Xosé M. Núñez Seixas is Full Professor of Modern History at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich. He has taught at Paris X, the City University of New York, and Stanford University, and has written several monographs on comparative Iberian and European nationalism, migration studies, and the cultural history of war.

Javier Moreno-Luzón is Full Professor of Modern History at the Complutense University of Madrid. He has been a visiting scholar at the London School of Economics and Harvard University. Among his publications in English is Modernizing the Nation: Spain during the Reign of Alfonso XIII, 1902-1931 (2012).

“Metaphors of Spain makes a rich trove of scholarship accessible to an English-speaking audience, framed in a way that will be of interest even for those without background knowledge about the country. The range of themes covered, from formal symbols to popular culture, is wide-ranging but coherent and well-conceived.” · Pamela Radcliff, University of California, San Diego

“This excellent collection explores one of the most fraught questions of modern European history: what did it mean to be Spanish? Every essay is stimulating and thought-provoking, serving as a useful introduction to Spanish nationalism for those who know little about the field while providing new insights and ideas for those familiar with the topic.” · Clinton D. Young, author of Theater Music and Popular Nationalism in Spain, 1880-1930