Spain: Inventing the Nation

Description

Part of the successful 'Inventing the Nation' history series, this book provides an authoritative and compelling history of Spain in the modern period. Humlebaek places a strong emphasis on the construction of the Spanish national identity and looks at how this identity has emerged and survived amidst the tensions created by the competing, distinct regional identities that exist within the country. Language and language policy, decisive factors in the development of these tensions, are thoroughly examined as Carsten Humlebaek explores the history of Spain along with the very nature of what it is to be Spanish. Beginning with the Napoleonic invasion and the annexation of Spain in 1808, Humlebaek traces Spain's political history through to the present day. He considers the impact of events like the Spanish Civil War and regimes like that of the Restoration on the Spanish sense of national identity before contemplating the future for Spain as a nation-state. This book is the ideal volume for all students of history interested in the modern history of Spain.

Carsten Humlebaek is Associate Professor of Spanish Cultural and Social Analysis in the Department of International Business Communication at the Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

The style of writing is clear, the argument well-structured and the author offers a vivid, concise and dynamic summary of scholarly research on nation building in Spain. * European History Quarterly * The book is well written and accessible to undergraduates, who will find in it a handy synthesis in English dedicated to the national issues in Spain ... done with an unbiased and qualified point of view, which is refreshing and might be useful even to Spanish readers. We already knew that Spain is a weak and divided Nation-state, as far as its national cohesion and collective imagination are concerned, but now we understand better why. * Nations and Nationalism *