Constructing Identity in Contemporary Spain: Theoretical Debates and Cultural Practice, and: Mujer, modernismo y vanguardia en Espana (1898-1931) (review)

What can modernist studies learn from Spain? Two recent publications address this question while also considering how the study of literature and the arts in Spain can profit from an incorporation of recent theoretical work on modernity. As the field of modernist studies expands, subjects that were once treated as exceptional become the locations for rethinking old habits. Spain, like many areas previously (and currently) described as marginal, peripheral or alternative, offers scholars the opportunity to test out theoretical propositions with reference to a range of cultural products that were once thought to be either too popular, commercial or non-canonical to merit serious attention. Spain's status as both similar to and different from her European counterparts allows lessons learned from studying modernism and modernity in Spain to be applied to broader reflections about modernism in Europe. Constructing Identity in Contemporary Spain and Mujer, modernismo y vanguardia en España demonstrate that theoretical models that account for, and offer tools to reflect upon, the construction of difference and identity within and outside of cultural spheres, offer a productive approach to understanding Spain within an international framework. Further, a country like Spain, in which the categories of nationality (Castilian, Catalán, Basque, Galician, Valencian, etc.), language and culture must be considered in their plural forms, requires attention to temporal, geographic and subject specificity. Thus, balancing local context with a hoped-for global audience (a concern for the country's modern artists and writers) has become of equal concern to contemporary interpreters.

In 1995, Helen Graham and Jo Labanyi edited Spanish Cultural Studies: An Introduction. The book changed the character of the academic study of Spanish literature by focusing scholars' attention on the complexity of Spanish culture. Rather than cordoning Spain off from the rest of Europe or the Americas, Graham and Labanyi proposed understanding the specificity of Spain while investigating the heterogeneity and hybridity of Spanish modernity through an interdisciplinary approach. One of the core interests of the book was to extend the study of Spain to include popular and mass culture, while pointing out that within a Spanish context the terms were not interchangeable. Mass culture referred to the area of production related to modern industry, commerce and mechanical reproduction, whereas popular culture described the traditions and cultures that were largely rural in origin, even when practiced in the cities. There was also considerable attention given to gender and the pluri-nationalities within Spain. Written by scholars from Europe, especially England and Spain, and the United States, the anthology proposed a study of modernity in Spain grounded in the analysis and interpretation of culture.

Following Spanish Cultural Studies, other anthologies, including The Cambridge Companion to Modern Spanish Culture and Contemporary Spanish Cultural Studies, offered insights into the possibilities (for beginning students as well as experienced specialists) of rewriting Spain within an expanded field of investigation.¹ The notable success of these ground-breaking anthologies evidenced the interest in applying a cultural studies model to Spain. In 2000 Labanyi was among the founding editors of The Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies. The call to invigorate the study of Spanish culture from multiple perspectives, which was present in the earlier anthologies and is part of the mission statement for the journal, is aimed at those already invested in a study of hispanism as well as those looking in at Spanish studies from other areas. In many ways, Labanyi's most recent anthology takes up where her previous collection left off. Importantly, however, she does not rest on the laurels of her earlier publications. Instead, she probes further into the field of cultural studies by raising questions, offering useful introductory texts, and encouraging new avenues for critical study. She also revisits key elements first introduced nearly a...