Introduction and Definition
Spain is a nation of nations. It was not always so and this is not an assertion that everybody would agree with. However, it better describes today’s political reality than any other possible model. In this entry, the relationship between archaeology and nationalism in Spain will be analyzed, paying particular attention to how this has changed over the last 200 years.
Nationalism is based on the idea that “humanity is naturally divided into nations, that nations are known by certain characteristics which can be ascertained, and that the only legitimate type of government is national self-government” (Kedourie 1993: 1). Although this definition seems to indicate a direct relationship between one nation and one type of self-government, in practice the way in which these two concepts are connected is very flexible and there is a wide range of options on how this link is modelled. At one extreme, it is possible to find nation-states such as the Czech Republic...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Barandiarán, I. 1988. Enciclopedia general ilustrada del País Vasco. I. prehistoria: Paleolítico. San Sebastián: Auñamendi.
Díaz-Andreu, M. 1997. Conflict and innovation: the development of archaeological traditions in Iberia, in M. Díaz-Andreu & S. Keay (ed.) The archaeology of Iberia. The dynamics of change: 6-33. London: Routledge.
- 2010. Nationalism and archaeology. Spanish archaeology in the Europe of nationalities, in R. Preucel & S. Mrozowksi (ed.) Contemporary archaeology in theory and practice: 432-444. London: Blackwell.
Díaz-Andreu, M., G. Mora & J. Cortadella. 2009. Introducción, in M. Díaz-Andreu, G. Mora & J. Cortadella (ed.) Diccionario histórico de la arqueología en España (siglos XV-XX): 13-57. Madrid: Marcial Pons.
Gilman, A. 1995. Recent trends in the archaeology of Spain, in K. Lillios (ed.) The origin of complex societies in late prehistoric Iberia (Archaeological series 8): 1-6. Ann Arbor: International Monographs in Prehistory.
Gracia Alonso, F. 2008. Relations between Spanish archaeologists and Nazi Germany (1939-1945). A preliminary examination of the influence of “Das Ahnenerbe” in Spain. Bulletin of the History of Archaeology 18: 4-24.
- 2009. La arqueología durante el primer franquismo (1939-1956). Barcelona, Bellaterra.
Hobsbawm, E.J. 1990. Nations and nationalism since 1780: programme, myth, reality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kedourie, E. 1993. Nationalism. 4th edn. Oxford: Blackwell.
Lafuente, M. 1850. Historia general de España, Volume 1. Madrid: Tip. Mellado.
Martínez Navarrete, M.I. 2001. Spain, in T. Murray (ed.), Encyclopedia of archaeology. History and discoveries: 1194-1207. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Mederos Martín, A. 2010. Análisis de unadecadencia. La arqueologíaespañola del siglo XIX. I. El impulso isabelino (1830-1867). Cuadernos de Prehistoria y Arqueología de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 36: 159-216.
Ruiz Rodríguez, A., J.P. Bellón & A. Sánchez. 2008. La construction archéologique des Ibères. Entre Orient et Occident, in A. Lehoërff (ed.) Construire le temps. Histoire et méthodes des chronologies et calendriers des derniers millénaires avant notre ère en Europe occidentale. Actes du XXXe colloque international de Halma-Ipel, 7-9 décembre 2006, Lille (Collection Bibracte 16): 307-323. Glux-en-Glenne: Centre Archéologique Européen.
Wulff Alonso, F. 2003. Las esencias patrias. Historiografía e historia antigua en la construcción de la identidad española (siglos XVI-XX). Barcelona: Crítica.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
Díaz-Andreu, M. (2014). Spain: Nationalism and Archaeology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1028
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1028
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0426-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0465-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law