976451 Contemporary Spain

The subject introduces students to selected aspects of contemporary Spanish history, culture and social life, and relates contemporary Spain to European and global histories. The overarching question that students are encouraged to ask and answer is 'What is Spain?' For the first four weeks of the subject students learn about general European issues: definitions of Europe, the drive to unification, Orientalism, and the impact of migration. The Spain-specific lectures and seminars in the subject build from noting divergent and contradictory historical ways of conceptualising Spain, with attention paid to the legacies of waves of immigrant peoples and empires, religions, and ethnicities. The subject also pays close attention to the modern history of Spain from the Second Republic in the 1930s, through the Civil War and Franco dictatorship to the restoration of democracy in the 1980s and after, with specific investigation of regional drives, tourism and the manufacturing of 'Spanishness', gender and sexual politics, and the changing political and cultural climate since the 1980s. Students develop critical thinking skills relevant to the multidisciplinary nature of the subject.

Assessment: Assessment tasks include essays.

Typical availability

Spring semester, City campus