Spain and the Spaniards

Authors

  • Rubén Caba Escritor

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2011.751n5013

Keywords:

Cadiz Constitution, Spain, spaniards, Hispania, hispani, Arab invasion, Américo Castro, Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz, Alfonso X

Abstract


The author here argues in favour of the historical reality that we call Spain. To recognize the Cadiz Constitution of 1812 as the origin of present Spain, he maintains, does not imply that our country had no national identity before the 19th century. And to this effect he expounds the famous controversy between Americo Castro and Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz. Before the Arab invasion there were no “españoles”, since this word of provençal origin dates back to the 11th century, as Castro points out. However, it is also true that during the Roman as well the Gothic domination, the peninsular inhabitants were known as “hispani”, as Sánchez-Albornoz sarcastically alleges. In addition, this article includes a number of quotations from Latin, Gothic and Spanish writers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, references which bear witness to a feeling of belonging to an old country called “Hispania” or “España”.

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References

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Sánchez-Albornoz, Claudio (1956): España, un enigma histórico, Buenos Aires, Editorial Sudamericana.

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Published

2011-10-30

How to Cite

Caba, R. (2011). Spain and the Spaniards. Arbor, 187(751), 977–982. https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2011.751n5013

Issue

Section

Articles