Iberian Political Cultures: The Spanish Case

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Mari Paz Balibrea Enriquez
• Assessment: a 10-minute class presentation (20%) and a 3500-word essay (80%)

This module is structured around a close comparison between Spain and Portugal’s twentieth century and will explore a wide range of subjects related to history, politics, culture and the arts, under the unifying concept of political cultures. It will introduce you to Spanish political culture within the wider context of the Iberian peninsula. You will become familiar with some major trends of European and Iberian twentieth-century history, with an emphasis on Spain, and learn how to analyse Spanish political culture.

The module is organised around five topics: crisis of liberalism, modernism, fascism, democratic transitions and religion. These represent zones where political activity and cultural creation meet and as such constitute political cultures: a set of commonsensical beliefs and spontaneous social habits that represent forms of relation between the State and society, political power and artistic creation.

In class, we will explore a wide range of works, including political discourses, essays, novels, poetry, film, music and TV programmes.

Indicative module content

• Progress and the crisis of liberalism
• Reactionary fascism
• Modernising fascism
• Democracy and Europeanisation
• Revisions

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• identify and analyse key moments and spaces of the Spanish-speaking world through cultural artefacts
• demonstrate awareness of the complex relations between culture, history and politics
• recognise the diversity and particularities of different historical moments and geographical spaces
• situate the Spanish-speaking world and cultures in wider contexts
• develop analytical, critical and conceptual skills and demonstrate ability to work with theoretical arguments
• demonstrate the ability to understand cultural forms within their socio-historical context
• apply interdisciplinary practices in the study of concepts, works and authors.