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Studies in Latin American and Spanish History
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Metaphors of Spain
Representations of Spanish National Identity in the Twentieth Century
Edited by Javier Moreno-Luzón and Xosé M. Núñez Seixas
368 pages, bibliog., index
ISBN 978-1-83695-699-0 $150.00/£115.00 / Hb / Not Yet Published (September 2026)
eISBN 978-1-83695-700-3 eBook Not Yet Published
Second Edition
Reviews
“Metaphors of Spain is indisputably an extraordinary collection of Spanish history in the twentieth century, convincingly accomplished by reviewing representations of Spanish national identity. In addition, the book offers a deep and detailed description of the project of nation building undertaken by the political and intellectual elites during the twentieth century. The book is recommended for both the general public and the specialized public who want to broaden their knowledge of the formation of the contemporary Spanish national identity.” • Maria Jose Hierro, Yale University
Description
First published in 2017, Metaphors of Spain traces the complex history of twentieth-century Spanish nationalism. This history places 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. This second edition includes an extensive new introduction and an additional chapter exploring food and nationalism.
Javier Moreno-Luzón is Professor of History at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Specialist in the political life of Modern Spain, his books in English include Modernizing the Nation: Spain during the Reign of Alfonso XIII, 1902-1931 and Centennial Fever: Transnational Hispanic Commemorations and Spanish Nationalism. He won the Spanish National History Prize in 2024.
Xosé M. Núñez Seixas obtained his PhD from the EUI Florence and is a professor of modern and contemporary history at the University of Santiago de Compostela. His research interests span the comparative and transnational history of nationalism and territorial identity, the memory of twenty-century dictatorships, and the social and cultural history of war and violence. His latest books are The Spanish Blue Division on the Eastern Front (1941–1945): War, Occupation, Memory; Beyond Folklore? The Franco Regime and Ethnoterritorial Diversity in Spain, and The Eastern Front and European Memory: On Victims and Heroes, 1945–2024.
Subject: History: 20th Century to Present
Area: Southern Europe
Contents
Of Related Interest
Spain in International Context, 1936-1959
A Social History of Spanish Labour
New Perspectives on Class, Politics, and Gender
Metaphors of Spain
Representations of Spanish National Identity in the Twentieth Century
