Muhammad Hanafi / Spanish Civilization and Culture Homework 1 / Spanishness

1. Why does “Spanishness” have something of a bad name?

"Spanishness" usually has a bad meaning among the Spaniards. This thing

happened mainly because of the history of Spain during the rule of Franco. During the

Franco years, he tends to manufacture a kind of 'glorious Spanishness' resonant of

imperial greatness, military values, and macho supremacy. One of the negative

impacts of Francoist propaganda is people can't express their definition and any

appreciation of Spanishness. Then later in the future, it is often easier to articulate an

allegiance to their community than to express an attachment and pride for being

Spanish. Because of this history, the term "Spanishness" has a bad name among the

people.

2. How is the term “Nationalism” defined in the text? Do you agree?

The first definition of nationalism in the text is it can be the source of noble

patriotism, which influences the citizens to make sacrifices for the common good. On

the other hand, it can be an opposing force, a reaction against the liberal of the state,

which caused fanaticism and totalitarianism and a prelude to violence and war. I agree

and disagree with this definition of nationalism. Still, for me, nationalism is more like

the feeling of loving and celebrating your nation and having a cultural bond between

the people who live in that nation. The thing that I disagree with is the definition of

nationalism negatively. The stereotype of nationalism is usually connected with this

negative meaning, so the people of that nation are unattracted from the concept of

nationalism.

3. What is your definition of “Stereotypes”? Do you think that they are always

negative?

For me, a stereotype is the characterization of other people or groups that is

only based on opinion, thinking, or judgment. Stereotypes are often connected with
Muhammad Hanafi / Spanish Civilization and Culture Homework 1 / Spanishness

negative meanings, mainly because people often get stereotypes from hearing the

negative stereotype itself. A stereotype is not always negative. An example of a

positive stereotype is the stereotype that Indonesian people are polite. It always

depends on how we receive the stereotypes.

4. What do you think about the surveys of identity? What would people in your

country answer?

The result of the identity surveys conducted in 1997 was kind of surprising.

More than half of the people who did the surveys showed an equal commitment, both

being Spanish and being the people of their autonomous community. There are 6% of

the respondent even described themselves as exclusively committed to their

autonomous community. But, this result is understandable after I read all of the text.

This happened because their history with Franco's dictatorship makes the people

belong to their autonomous community rather than Spanish. This case can't relate to

my country's problem, mainly because the sense of belonging to each other in

Indonesia is high. Our main problem is facing globalization and the Western world's

influence that degrades our culture and sense of belonging to Indonesia.

5. Which communities are more and less “Castilianized” in Spain?

There are four classifications in terms of castilianized among the communities

of Spain. The first one, the highly castilianized or the core of the Castilian itself, such

as Comunidad de Madrid, Castilla y Leon, and Castilla la Mancha. The next one, the

moderately castilianized group of territories such as Cantabria or Extremadura. The

third one is the non-castilianized group with a strong sense of cultural difference, such

as Andalusia or Asturias. Lastly, the extremely non castilianized, such as Valencia

and the Balearic Islands.

6. How has the vision of Spaniards changed since 19th century until today?

In the text, several writers are talking about their visions of Spaniards. Each of

them has a different perspective of how they saw Spain through the times. In the late

18th century, Richard ford described Spain as an exotic country, peculiar, picturesque,

and full of passionate people. In the 19th century, Calvo Seraller described Spain as

old towns with tiny winding streets and monumental architecture of more recent urban

developments, picturesque local customs, colorful popular traditions, and a world of

risk and adventure. Another frequent image of Spain is the beauty, wildness of

Andalusian women. There is some negative image of Spain like Spain is a dangerous

country. Another example of the negative image is the Spaniard's lack of a sense of

civic responsibility and their apparent inability to make any effort for the good of the

community at large. I think this kind of image may reoccur during the dictatorship of

Franco. Nowadays, I think the image of Spain slightly changes, although some of the

old images still exist. When you say Spain, people will have an image of a country

that likes to party, have a long siesta, and have outstanding work and life balance.

7. Could you summarize the process of democratization of Spain?

The awakening of democracy in Spain began in 1975, the year that Franco

died. Despite the rearguard action of franco's defenders, democracy prevailed in the

1970s and 1980s. The awakening happened because of the support and sustained by

liberal people, the street activism of left-wing groups opposed to the regime, by

modernizing tendencies in business and industry. By a commitment to change o the

part of the monarchy, in the person of Juan Carlos Borbon (as prince of Asturias and

Franco's nominated heir from 1969 onwards, and asking Juan Carlos I from the

moment of his coronation two days after Franco's death). After all Franco's successors

failed to defend their rule, King Juan Carlos later chose Adolfo Suarez to be the prime
Muhammad Hanafi / Spanish Civilization and Culture Homework 1 / Spanishness

minister. The king's decision caused a sensation, given that Suarez was relatively

inexperienced, being only 43 years old. But the king's decision was based on the

excellent record of Suarez and the proof that he was the right person to be the prime

minister. The first step in the dismantling of Francoism is a package of measures that

would lead to the new formation of a new Cortes based on the democratic election

and the rule of law. Because both the king and Suarez want democracy in Spain, it

makes the transition to democracy easier. The political changes were part of a more

comprehensive process of social transformation in Spain, out of which emerged a

country with a highly liberal ethos and a firm commitment to democracy.

8. Why 1992 is such an important date for Spain and Spaniards?

During the late 19th century, Spain was still undergoing a 'renewal' after many

years of dictatorship. The peak of the renewal happened in 1992. this year, Spain

hosted four important international events, The Universal Exhibition in Seville, the

Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, the Middle East Peace Conference, and the

Barcelona Olympic Games. This year also called el año de Felipe González, because

all of that events occurred during the rule of prime minister Felipe González. These

events' success made Spain finally become more well known in the outside world and

become one of the best countries in Europe.