History and Collective Memories of Migration in a Land of Migrants: The Case of Iberian Galicia

More than five million Spaniards left their country between the mid-nineteenth century and the early 1970s, though this was gross rather than net emigration. Prior to 1950 most were headed for Latin America—particularly Argentina, Cuba and Brazil. The emphasis shifted during the late 1950s toward Venezuela, and to a lesser extent Uruguay, Mexico, Chile and the United States. ¹ After 1960 the flow of Spanish migrants redirected itself north of the Pyrenees. France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom received some four hundred thousand Spaniards as bricklayers, day laborers and industrial workers.

Spaniards living abroad are an important and very present factor in Spain’s public sphere, even without taking into consideration the second generation. Since every Spaniard, including those not living in Spain, has the right to vote at general, regional and local elections (unlike Italians until recent times), Spanish migrants have significant opportunities to actively participate in the politics of their country of origin.

In a parallel phenomenon, Spain has recently become a country of immigration as well. Throughout the 1990s, and particularly during the second half of that decade, the incoming flow of Latin American, African and even East European migrants attracted by the flourishing Spanish economy caused a spectacular increase in the percentage of immigrants. Yet even with the 1996–1997 “regularization” campaign by Spanish authorities, the total number of non-EU immigrants in Spain still remains relatively low: 938,783 in December 2000 according to official data (comprising 2.7 percent of the overall Spanish population in contrast with 6 percent in the EU, 7.2 percent in Germany or 8.2 percent in France). Immigrants are virtually absent from many Spanish regions, but they have become an everyday reality in others (Madrid, Andalusia, Catalonia and some areas of Valencia). Their presence sparks underlying tensions and surfaces a multitude of problems concerning integration in schools, tolerance of religious ceremonies, etc. ² Although several surveys in the 1990s showed Spaniards to be less “racist” than other European citizens (20 percent, against 36 percent of Germans and 49 percent of French), these lower percentages obscure the fact that Spain’s rate of immigration was and is far less than in other EU countries. One could surmise that Spanish society is potentially just as able to incubate racism as any other European country, as recent outbursts of violence have shown. ³

Thus, immigration has become a “problem” on the public agenda of a country whose own emigrants in Europe and America are still a present reality, in contrast with France or even Italy, though the timing of Italian emigration resembles Spain’s in the twentieth century. Moreover, Spanish emigrants and particularly those living in Latin American countries may also be a “problem” for the future, since the enduring economic crises of countries like Argentina or Venezuela encourage former Spanish emigrants to return home. The same applies to their children and grandchildren, who upon obtaining a Spanish passport could leave their countries and look for a better future in their ancestors’ land. Thus, migration has to some extent become circular over time. Most Argentine or Uruguayan immigrants to Spain are first- or second-generation descendants of Galician, Asturian or Canary Island migrants who left Spain sometime after the mid-nineteenth century. This is true of many Italians also, and in a somewhat different way, of South American Jews who “return” to Israel.

Migrants Like Us

The question of migration is not the same throughout Spain. Some regions have developed links with specific countries in Latin America due to the persistence of strong communities of migrants, as well as the enduring social memory of migration to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Venezuela. Though there have been significant numbers of overseas migrants from almost all Spanish regions, Galicia (in northwestern Spain) and the Canary Islands...