EL RELATO NEGATIVO DE LA TRANSICIÓN ESPAÑOLA Y SU PLASMACIÓN LITERARIA: UNA LECTURA SOCIOCRÍTICA DE EL JARDÍN COLGANTE, DE JAVIER CALVO

En el presente artículo, llevaremos a cabo una lectura sociocrítica de la novela El jardín colgante de Javier Calvo. Esta novela aborda en su argumento la Transición española y, en parte a través del recurso al subgénero de la novela de espionaje, presenta desde la ficción una imagen negativa, violenta y descarnada de dicha Transición, entendida como una conspiración de las elites fundada en la violencia y en un pacto de olvido. A través del citado análisis sociocrítico, mostraremos cómo se inscriben ciertos elementos simbólicos de carácter antagónico en el dispositivo semiótico-discursivo de la obra y cómo a la postre estos muestran una visión de la Transición más problemática, ambigua y contradictoria de lo que podría parecer en una lectura superficial del texto, y revelan de forma inconsciente los principales conflictos conceptuales e ideológicos que la Transición aún genera. In this article, we will carry out a socio-critical reading of the novel El jardín colgante, by Javier Calvo. This novel is about the Spanish Transition to democracy, and, partially based on the conventions of the spy novel as a subgenre, it builds a negative image of it. The novel presents the Spanish Transition as a conspiracy of elites based on violence and in a pact of oblivion. Through the aforementioned socio-critical analysis, we will show how certain symbolic antagonistic elements are inscribed in the semiotic-discursive device of the work, and also how they reveal a more problematic, ambiguous and contradictory view of the Spanish Transition than it might appear from a first reading, and also how they unconsciously expose the main conceptual and ideological conflicts that this period of the Spanish History still generates. Abstract: In this article, we will carry out a socio-critical reading of the Javier Calvo’s novel El jardín colgante. This novel is set during the Spanish Transition to democracy, and, partially based on the conventions of the spy novel as a subgenre, it builds a negative image of it. The novel presents the Spanish Transition as a conspiracy of elites based on violence and in a pact of oblivion. Through the aforementioned socio-critical analysis, we will show how certain symbolic antagonistic elements are inscribed in the semiotic-discursive device of the work, and also how they reveal a more problematic, ambiguous and contradictory view of the Spanish Transition than it might appear from a first reading, and also how they unconsciously expose the main conceptual and ideological conflicts that this period of Spanish History still generates.

The representation of the rural exodus in Spanish cinema (1900-2020): evolution, causes and territorial consequences

Rural depopulation has been a constant feature of contemporary Spanish history and has been amply studied from the perspective of geography. Recently, however, there has been considerable media attention given to the consequences of internal migration. Behind the alarming demographic statistics lies a nexus of processes which have been reflected in the cinema since its beginning. This paper explores these processes at work in the rural sending environment and receiving urban destination through an analysis of six representative Spanish films. The fictional representation through film of a complex reality provides insights into the internal and contextual keys to understanding the phenomenon of ‘empty Spain’ or ‘hollowed-out Spain’. The films illustrate the persistence of two conflicting ideas (the rural and urban), divergence about what constitutes development and the quality of life, and the processes leading to ‘demotanasia’.

Spanish Carnival, Dictatorship, and Political Correctness

В статье в контексте истории Испании XIX-XXI вв. рассматривается эволюция народного карнавала как воплощения «протестного начала», «праздника непослушания», в ходе которого привычный социальный порядок «переворачивается вверх дном», происходит отказ от повседневных правил поведения, отменяются устоявшиеся этические и идеологические нормы. Давление властных структур на карнавальную традицию, порой весьма жесткое, вынуждало вести почти непрерывную борьбу за ее поддержание. Особое место в этом процессе занимает период диктатуры Франко, когда карнавал был запрещен и предпринимались попытки сконструировать ему замену, полностью лишенную исконной протестной и «ниспровергательской» сути. Автор описывает восстановление карнавальной традиции после падения диктатуры, а также реакцию общества и администрации на возобновившиеся «нарушения табу» в условиях либеральных свобод. Автор обращает внимание на принципиально новую тенденцию в культурно-идеологической атмосфере Испании последних лет, связанную с резким усилением влияния постулатов так называемой политкорректности и попытками влиятельной части общества перестроить в соответствии с ними действующую систему ценностей и отношений. В этой ситуации карнавал, веками игравший роль возмутителя общественного спокойствия, впервые в истории подвергается все более резкой критике как бастион консерватизма, сексизма, мачизма и т. д., требующий радикальной перестройки. Между тем ее реализация неминуемо уничтожит неповторимую специфику карнавала, буквально чудом сохранившуюся после столетий ограничений, запретов, «коммерческой коррозии» и других губительных для поддержания традиции факторов. This article examines the evolution of Spanish national carnival in the context of Spanish history of the past two centuries as the embodiment of the “protest principle,” as a “holiday of disobedience,” when the usual social order is turned upside down, everyday rules of behavior are rejected, and established moral and ideological norms are abolished. Pressure on the carnival tradition on the part of the authorities, sometimes very severe, generated an almost continuous struggle to maintain it. During the Franco dictatorship, carnival was banned and attempts were made to construct a replacement, devoid of the original critical and “subversive” spirit. This article describes the restoration of the carnival tradition after the dictatorship fell. It analyzes the reaction of Spanish society and administration to the renewed “taboo violations” in the context of liberal freedoms. The author draws attention to a fundamentally new trend in the Spanish cultural and ideological atmosphere of recent years associated with a sharp increase in so-called political correctness and with attempts by an influential part of society to rebuild a new system of values. In this situation, the carnival, which for centuries played the role of disturber of public peace, for the first time in history is being criticized as a bastion of conservatism, sexism, machismo, etc., that requires radical restructuring. However, the implementation of such change will inevitably destroy the unique nature of the carnival which miraculously survived centuries of restrictions, prohibitions, “commercial corrosion” and other factors detrimental to the maintenance of the tradition.

Circulation and Transnational Memory

This final chapter examines the international scope of the Napoleonic war memoir genre. Widespread and often illegal practices of reprinting and translating veterans’ autobiographies ensured that narratives of the Peninsular War circulated extensively across borders throughout the nineteenth century, not only within Europe but also across the Atlantic, to both the United States and Latin America. Peninsular War memoirs became a transnational genre, crossing national and linguistic divides. This did not, however, result in a peaceful shared memory of the war. Instead, the reprinting and translation of memoirs was unequal, with Spanish accounts rarely reaching British and French audiences, and hostile, with foreign soldiers’ tales being severely edited and disputed by translators. This nationalistic reaction to the circulation of military memoirs laid the foundations for enduring grand narratives about what is in British history the Peninsular War, in French history the War in Spain, and in Spanish history the War of Independence.

The conformation of the disciplinary and professional field of pedagogy in Spain before the Civil War

PurposeThis article focuses on the study of the shaping of pedagogy as a discipline in Spain prior to the Civil War. Its aim is to identify those elements that helped pedagogy become constituted as a distinct field of knowledge that could offer rigorous insight into the world of education.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses the framework proposed by Rita Hofstetter and Bernard Schneuwly for the shaping of a disciplinary field. Finally, it briefly examines the process of professionalization, using the approach advocated by the sociologist Elliott Freidson.FindingsThe analysis carried out concludes that at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936 the process of professionalization and consolidation of pedagogy as a discipline had been completed in Spain.Originality/valueThe article presents the originality of reinterpreting the elements offered by Spanish history of education in the light of an international theoretical framework. This allows a new understanding of the process of constitution of pedagogy as a disciplinary field while offering the international public a case study according to international standards.

Empty Summer: International Tourist Behavior in Spain during COVID-19

COVID-19 has led to the biggest tourism crisis in modern Spanish history. Although its borders were opened in June 2020, incoming international tourism to Spain was very low. Tourist behavior, however, has been very diverse between types of tourism. Data from credit card transactions showing tourist behavior in 33 destinations representative of various types of tourism were analyzed. Results show that differences in tourist behavior between destinations can be explained by risk perception and the proximity of the destination to home, which favors natural areas and charming coastal cities. This study contributes to the academic literature by studying the effective behavior of international tourists in the time of COVID-19.

Parias y resistentes. La guerra interminable según Almudena Grandes

The book Parias y resistentes. La guerra interminable según Almudena Grandes written by Aránzazu Calderón is an important work that I believe that should be read by both, those interested in Spanish Literature and Spanish History. It is also a text that reflects the great debates in these two disciplines. Both the need for the historical memory of nations and the genesis and reinforcement of what Rosenwein has called emotional communities (2006) appear in this book analyzing Almudena Grandes' novelistic project, which is entitled Episodios de una Guerra interminable.