Modern Languages: Spanish History and Society

The rich cultural and political life of Spain has emerged from its complex history, from the diversity of its peoples, and from continual contact with outside influences. This updated edition traces that history from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. Written in an engaging style, it introduces readers to key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture. These include its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism, as well as debates over the place of the church in modern Spain. Illustrations, maps and a guide to further reading, major cultural figures, and places to see make the history of this fascinating country come alive.

Modern Spain: 1808 to the Present is a comprehensive overview of Spanish history from the Napoleonic era to the present day. Places a large emphasis on Spain's place within broader European and global history The chronological political narrative is enriched by separate chapters on long term economic, social and cultural developments This presentation of modern Spanish history incorporates the latest thinking on key issues of modernity, social movements, nationalism, democratization and  democracy

From Roman times to the present day, Spain has occupied a significant role in the evolution of our Western world. This book highlights the notable trends, intellectual and social, of each particular era in its history. The imposition of Roman rule created the notion of Hispania as a single entity. Chapters on the Visigoth monarchy, Moorish Spain, the establishment, an empire, the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, all chart the political and economic development ofSpain, but also emphasize the extraordinary and diverse artistic and literary achievements of the Spanish people within this one country at these different times. Moving on to the nineteenth century, we read of the rise of liberalism, and of its fall, which ushered in a period of disarray leading tothe Civil War and authoritarian rule. Today Spain is a fully integrated and enthusiastic member of the European community.

This is a much-needed new overview of Spanish social and political history which sets developments in twentieth-century Spain within a broader European context. Julián Casanova, one of Spain's leading historians, and Carlos Gil Andrés chart the country's experience of democracy, dictatorship and civil war and its dramatic transformation from an agricultural and rural society to an industrial and urban society fully integrated into Europe. They address key questions and issues that continue to be discussed and debated in contemporary historiography, such as why the Republic was defeated, why Franco's dictatorship lasted so long and what mark it has left on contemporary Spain. This is an essential book for students as well as for anyone interested in Spain's turbulent twentieth century.

Don't just see the sights--get to know the people. In the popular imagination Spain conjures up a picture of rapacious conquistadores, fiery flamenco dancers, and brilliant artists. All true enough but how closely does everyday life in modern Spain conform to these dramatic stereotypes? Culture Smart! Spain explores the complex human realities of contemporary Spanish life.

Beginning with the Black Death in 1348 and extending through to the demise of Habsburg rule in 1700, this second edition of Spanish Society, 1348-1700 has been expanded to provide a wide and compelling exploration of Spain's transition from the Middle Ages to modernity.

This book offers a comprehensive account of modern Spanish culture from its beginnings in the Revolution of 1868 to the present day. Specially-commissioned essays by leading experts analyze the historical and political background of modern Spain, the culture of major regions including Castile, Catalonia, and the Basque Country, and the country's literature. There are studies of painting, sculpture, architecture, cinema, dance, music, and the modern media. A chronology and guides to further reading assist in making the volume an invaluable introduction to the politics, literature and culture of modern Spain.

This collection of essays explores cultural phenomena that are shaping masculine identities in contemporary Spain, asking and striving to answer these compelling questions: what does it mean to be a man in present-day Spain? How has masculinity evolved since Franco's dictatorship? What are the dynamics of masculinity in contemporary Spanish culture? How has hegemonic masculinity been contested in cultural productions? This volume is comprised of sixteen essays that address these very questions by examining literary, cultural and film representations of the configurations of masculinities in contemporary Spain.

In his stimulating study, Jesus Cruz examines middle-class lifestyles -- generally known as bourgeois culture -- in nineteenth-century Spain. Cruz argues that the middle class ultimately contributed to Spain's democratic stability and economic prosperity in the last decades of the twentieth century.