On the genesis of a national identity: Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Authors

  • MATEO BALLESTER RODRÍGUEZ

Keywords:

National Identity, Spain, Early Modern Age.

Abstract

This review’s starting hypothesis is that in the 16th and 17th centuries there was already a Spanish national identity, which was particularly strengthened from the reign of King Philip II. The very idea of the existence of national identities in the Early Modern Age is often not accepted in the current academic debate on the matter, either in Spain and in general. This research will thus discuss this issue, first from a semantic and conceptual perspective, and then from a strictly historical one. According to this approach, Spanish national identity developed and took shape as a result of the convergence in this period of different discourses, symbolic constructions, and cultural phenomena, which will be presented and discussed here.

Published

2009-11-18