DOCSLIB.ORG

Completing the Religious Transition? Catholics and Muslims Navigate Secularism in Democratic Spain

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Completing the Religious Transition? Catholics and Muslims Navigate Secularism in Democratic Spain Completing the Religious Transition? Catholics and Muslims Navigate Secularism in Democratic Spain by Aitana Guia (European University Institute, Florence) Abstract In Europe, Muslims are often seen as the enemies of secularism and laïcité, the strict separation of church and state pioneered in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century France. Yet the Spanish experience shows that European Muslims should not prima facie be considered opponents of secularism. Indeed, a majority of devout Spanish Muslims have demanded, rather than opposed, state neutrality on religious matters—this in direct opposition to a concerted effort by the Catholic Church and its supporters to maintain a privileged position vis-à-vis other confessions. In the protracted debates over the role of religion in the public sphere in Spain, devout Muslims have shown a preference for the secular Socialist Party over the militant Catholicism of Spanish conservatives. The leaders of the Protestant, Jewish, and Islamic federations demanded in 2011 that Spain complete its “religious transition” so as to ensure the equal treatment of all religious confessions by the state. Muslims in Spain, while they have echoed Catholic demands for the preservation of religion in the public sphere, have opposed Catholicism’s privileged status in the country. By demanding consistency of treatment and state neutrality on religious matters, Muslims have assisted, rather than hindered, the construction of secularism in Spain. Keywords: transition, Spain, religious rights, minority religions, secularism, education, Islam, Catholicism Religious Transitions The demands made by devout European Mus- state patterns within each of these countries” lims for religious rights should not be viewed in (2004: 7). The experience of Spanish Muslims, isolation from the larger historical and political in particular, demonstrates the extent to which contexts that have shaped, and to some extent Muslims’ deployment of collective resources in limited, Muslim life in Europe. Joel S. Fetzer and J. the struggle for religious rights, and their willing- Christopher Soper, in their comparative study of ness to take advantage of certain political oppor- the relationship between Muslims and the state tunities to implement and extend these rights, in Britain, France, and Germany, have shown that has been limited by the institutional pattern of the development of public policy on the religious church-state relations in Spain, as well as the rights of European Muslims should not draw resource mobilization of the country’s main con- solely on theories of resource mobilization, polit- tender for religious space—the Catholic Church. ical opportunity structure, and political ideology, Almost twenty years after the 1992 approval of since this relationship “is mediated in signifi- the Agreements of Cooperation between minor- cant ways by the different institutional church- ity confessions and the Spanish state, the leaders NEW DIVERSITIES Vol. 17, No. 1, 2015 ISSN ISSN-Print 2199-8108 ▪ ISSN-Internet 2199-8116 New Diversities 17 (1), 2015 Aitana Guia of Spain’s Protestant, Jewish, and Islamic fed- of secularization. According to sociologist José erations demanded that the country complete Casanova (2006: 16), for a long time scholarly its “religious transition” (Europa Press 2011). Yet debate was fruitlessly divided between North all major players in religious matters—minority American scholars arguing that secularization religious federations, the Catholic Church, and was an artificial European construct, and that the Spanish political establishment—maintain it did not follow directly from modernity, and vastly different ideas about what a complete European scholars claiming that secularization transition should entail. According to Jewish, was empirically irrefutable, a linear fait accom- Protestant, and Muslim leaders, the state must pli that originated in the European Renaissance, implement and enforce the democratic frame- was strengthened during the Enlightenment and work on religious pluralism that guaranteed the French Revolution, and became consolidated constitutionally-mandated state neutrality in with the liberal fight to separate church and state. religion and equal treatment of all confessions. In France, secularization’s coup de grâce came For the Catholic Church, however, state neu- with the 1905 Law on the Separation of Church trality and the equality of all confessions could and State, the backbone of the French principle only mean a loss of privilege for Catholics and of laïcité. Other European countries have fol- the further separation of church and state; the lowed their particular trajectories toward secu- status quo, with the occasional reinforcement of larization (Swatos and Olson 2000). the Church’s position during periods of conser- Casanova convincingly argued that to bridge vative rule, was the best possible scenario. The the divide between North American and Euro- Socialist Party, on the other hand, viewed Span- pean interpretations required decoupling the ish Catholicism’s privileged status as a result of concept of secularization on several distinct lev- the compromise implemented during the Transi- els. Secularization, in Casanova’s view, entails tion period (1975-82)—a necessary compromise, 1) independence from religious institutions, certainly, but one that was in need of revision. 2) the decline of religious belief and practice, and For the Socialists, the process of secularization 3) the relegation of religion to the private sphere. in Spain, understood as the “institutional and According to Casanova, even though on a global cultural changes that take people and organiza- scale the second and third components have not tions away from the institutional authority of occurred, the European case has been different the church and weaken their religious referents” to the extent that a “progressive, though highly (Pérez Díaz 1993: 119), had to be encouraged and uneven, secularization of [the continent] is an reinforced. undeniable social fact. An increasing majority While these positions reflect a particular bal- of the European population has ceased partici- ance of power between religious denominations, pating in traditional religious practices, at least the constitutional and legal framework that on a regular basis, even though they may still determined church-state interaction in Spain maintain relatively high levels of private individ- since 1978, and the positions and priorities of ual religious beliefs” (Casanova 2006: 17). New the two main political parties—conservative and scholarship is premised upon the idea that divi- socialist—, the larger debate over a religious sions between the religious and secular spheres transition has not been confined to Spain; it fits, have resulted from social dynamics that are rather, within a broader European, and indeed constantly renegotiated. Thus, “entanglements global, discussion of the meaning and scope of of religion and politics must be viewed as sites secularization and the place of religion in liberal in which the boundaries between religion and democracy. secular spheres are negotiated, challenged, and North American and European scholars have redrawn” (Wohlrab-Sahr and Burchardt 2012: been engaged in fierce debate over the meaning 882). The ways in which these boundaries have 96 Catholics and Muslims Navigate Secularism in Democratic Spain New DiverSitieS 17 (1), 2015 been negotiated in democratic Spain form the lar culture. As Victor Pérez Díaz has put it, “all core themes of this article. these institutions implied a curtailment of the It took less than a decade after Francisco church’s power, a reduction of its influence, and Franco’s death, in November 1975, for the influ- competition for its souls.” Indeed, only in the last ence of the Catholic Church over ordinary Span- fifty years or so has the church “made its peace iards to decrease considerably. While 86 percent with [the] world, and only in the Second Vatican of Spaniards considered themselves Catholic in Council has it officially recognized this” (Pérez 1984, the number of practicing Catholics dropped Díaz 1993: 123). from about 56 percent to 31 percent between Political events delayed, and even limited, the 1976 and 1983. During the same period, Span- development of this process in Spain. The Franco iards came to accept: contraception (65 percent), regime (1939-75), seeking to legitimize itself the dissolution of Catholic marriages (47 per- at the close of the Spanish Civil War, adopted cent), and the relaxation of premarital sexual Catholicism, the majority religion in Spain, as the relations (45 percent). Moreover, 43 percent of official religion of the state. This brought about Spaniards believed the church should not have a symbiotic relationship between the church any influence over government (Pérez Díaz 1993: and the regime, known as national-Catholicism. 173-175). Thirty years later, in 2014, the number Under Franco, the Catholic Church was given a of Spaniards considering themselves Catholic had prominent role in shaping social policies, like dropped a further 16 percent, to 69.4 percent of education and marriage, and was incorporated the population, while only 13.8 percent attended into the state structure through the subsidies mass regularly (CIS 2014). While it is undeniable its cathedrals and parishes received and by the that the second component of Casanova’s defini- salaries of clerics and teachers, which were paid tion of secularism—a decline of religious
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Spain Diversity Climate Notes
    Spain Diversity Climate Notes *** WELCOME TO SPAIN The Diversity Network’s Country Diversity Notes provide readily accessible summaries of country- specific information on potential challenges for students who are from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs. The notes were created to facilitate the ability of study abroad professionals to find a good country fit for prospective study abroad students who are uncertain of how they will be received abroad because of their race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion or disability. The Spain diversity note, below, features a country overview as well as information pertinent to the climate of respect that U.S. students of diverse backgrounds can reasonably expect while living in the country. It also offers bulleted information noting facts that may directly relate to student experiences in the country. Links for students to pursue additional information resources on the various topics are also offered. While the note provides a bird’s-eye view of diversity matters in the country as they pertain to U.S. students, the country information found in the note is not exhaustive. Advisors should use the information contained below in collaboration with faculty and staff who have experience in the particular country, returned study abroad students who are able and feel comfortable to discuss their own observations of diversity in the country, and the advisor’s own knowledge. COUNTRY OVERVIEW Spain is the third most popular destination for U.S. study abroad students. Engulfing its Iberian neighbor Portugal, Spain has coasts along the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, with the Strait of Gibraltar to the south separating it from Morocco.
    [Show full text]
  • The Splintering of Spain
    This page intentionally left blank ii ii The Splintering of Spain This book explores the ideas and culture surrounding the cataclysmic civil war that engulfed Spain from 1936 to 1939. It features specially commissioned articles from leading historians in Spain, Britain and the USA which examine the complex interaction of national and local factors, contributing to the shape and course of the war. They argue that the ‘splintering of Spain’ resulted from the myriad cultural clea- vages of society in the 1930s. Thus, this book views the civil war less as a single great conflict between two easily identifiable sets of ideas, social classes or ways of life, than historians have previously done. The Spanish tragedy, at the level of everyday life, was shaped by many tensions, both those that were formally political and those that were to do with people’s perceptions and understanding of the society around them. CHRIS EALHAM is Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University. His previous publications include Policing the City: Class, Culture and Conflict in Barcelona, 1898–1937 (2005). MICHAEL RICHARDS is Senior Lecturer in Contemporary European History at the University of the West of England. His previous publica- tions include A Time of Silence: Civil War and the Culture of Repression in Franco’s Spain, 1936–1945 (1998). The Splintering of Spain Cultural History and the Spanish Civil War, 1936 –1939 Edited by Chris Ealham and Michael Richards cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 2ru,UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521821780 © Cambridge University Press 2005 This publication is in copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • A Student's Guide to Studying Abroad in Spain
    Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU Honors Projects Honors College Spring 4-29-2012 A Student's Guide to Studying Abroad in Spain Sara Predieri Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects Repository Citation Predieri, Sara, "A Student's Guide to Studying Abroad in Spain" (2012). Honors Projects. 79. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/79 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. A Student’s Guide to Studying Abroad in Spain Una guía de estudiantes para sus estudios internacionales en España El Palacio Real (Royal Palace) en Madrid Una estatua (statue) de Sancho Panza and Don Quijote en Alcalá 1 Table of Contents Indice More Resources pg. 3 Author’s Note pg. 4 Part I: Culture Shock General Information about Spain pg. 5 El Mapa de España pg. 7 Alcalá de Henares pg. 8 Packing for Spain pg. 10 Relationships at Home and Abroad pg. 14 Your Host Family pg. 16 Stores in Spain pg. 18 Spanish Customs pg. 19 Part II: So I’m Here, Now What? Fashion in Spain pg. 23 Social Life in Spain pg. 24 La Universidad en España pg. 25 Jobs in Spain pg. 27 Part III: Travel in Spain Types of Transportation pg. 30 Important Places to See pg. 33 Madrid pg. 34 Toledo pg. 36 Segovia pg. 37 Barcelona pg. 38 Granada pg. 40 Basic Spanish Phrases pg. 42 More Spanish Phrases pg.
    [Show full text]
  • New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain • Carsten Jacob Humlebæk and Antonia María Ruiz Jiménez New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain
    New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain in Nationalism on Perspectives New • Carsten Humlebæk Jacob and Antonia María Jiménez Ruiz New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain Edited by Carsten Jacob Humlebæk and Antonia María Ruiz Jiménez Printed Edition of the Special Issue Published in Genealogy www.mdpi.com/journal/genealogy New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain New Perspectives on Nationalism in Spain Editors Carsten Humlebæk Antonia Mar´ıaRuiz Jim´enez MDPI • Basel • Beijing • Wuhan • Barcelona • Belgrade • Manchester • Tokyo • Cluj • Tianjin Editors Carsten Humlebæk Antonia Mar´ıa Ruiz Jimenez´ Copenhagen Business School Universidad Pablo de Olavide Denmark Spain Editorial Office MDPI St. Alban-Anlage 66 4052 Basel, Switzerland This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue published online in the open access journal Genealogy (ISSN 2313-5778) (available at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/genealogy/special issues/perspective). For citation purposes, cite each article independently as indicated on the article page online and as indicated below: LastName, A.A.; LastName, B.B.; LastName, C.C. Article Title. Journal Name Year, Article Number, Page Range. ISBN 978-3-03943-082-6 (Hbk) ISBN 978-3-03943-083-3 (PDF) c 2020 by the authors. Articles in this book are Open Access and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows users to download, copy and build upon published articles, as long as the author and publisher are properly credited, which ensures maximum dissemination and a wider impact of our publications. The book as a whole is distributed by MDPI under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND.
    [Show full text]
  • Encountering the Enlightenment: Science, Religion, and Catholic Epistemologies Across the Spanish Atlantic, 1687-1813
    Encountering the Enlightenment: Science, Religion, and Catholic Epistemologies across the Spanish Atlantic, 1687-1813 by Copyright 2016 George Alan Klaeren Submitted to the graduate degree program in History and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________ Chairperson Dr. Luis Corteguera _______________________________ Dr. Elizabeth Kuznesof _______________________________ Dr. Robert Schwaller _______________________________ Dr. Marta Vicente _______________________________ Dr. Santa Arias Date Defended: February 23, 2017 ii The Dissertation Committee for George Alan Klaeren certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Encountering the Enlightenment: Science, Religion, and Catholic Epistemologies across the Spanish Atlantic, 1687-1813 _________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Luis Corteguera Date approved: February 23, 2017 iii ABSTRACT During the eighteenth century, a wave of thought inundated the Spanish empire, introducing new knowledge in the natural sciences, religion, and philosophy, and importantly, questioning the very modes of perceiving and ascertaining this knowledge. This period of epistemic rupture in Spain and her colonies, commonly referred to as the Enlightenment, not only presented new ways of knowing, but inspired impassioned debates among leading intellectuals about the epistemology and philosophy that continued throughout the century. The previous scholarly literature
    [Show full text]
  • Courting Convivencia: Hispano-Arab Identity and Spanish Women’S Orientalism in the Franco Regime’S Years of “Unbearable Solitude” (1946-1950)
    This is a repository copy of Courting Convivencia: Hispano-Arab Identity and Spanish Women’s Orientalism in the Franco Regime’s Years of “Unbearable Solitude” (1946-1950). White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/123357/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Rabanal, H.T. (2018) Courting Convivencia: Hispano-Arab Identity and Spanish Women’s Orientalism in the Franco Regime’s Years of “Unbearable Solitude” (1946-1950). Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies. ISSN 1463-6204 https://doi.org/10.1080/14636204.2018.1493891 Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ 1 Courting Convivencia: Hispano-A I “ W O F R Y U “ -1950) “ her own colour, not H forever. No amount of love or understanding could pull down that barrier. (Louise Gerard. A Son of the Sahara. 1922: n. pag.) Había entre ellos muchas cosas, raza, religión, costumbres, pero cuando un gran amor une dos corazones, todo desaparece.
    [Show full text]
  • The Struggle for the Church: Popular Anticlericalism and Religiosity In
    The Struggle for the Church · 77 CHAPTER 4 retirement age, forms part of the constellation of small farming and cat­ tle-raising villages clustered near one another in the central vallevs of Leon (cf. Behar 1986). In these villages, ranging in size from fiftv to. four The Struggle for the Church: Popular hundred people, the land, traditionally fragmented into minute fields, Anticlericalism and Religiosity in Post-Franco has been owned and worked by peasant proprietors, communal institu­ tions of reciprocity and work exchange have been strong, and every com­ Spain munity has, until recently, been considered a parish with its own priest. Santa Maria is located in the most Catholic and rural region of Spain, Ruth Behar today known as the autonomous region of Castile-Leon, where anarchist ideas never took root, large landowners are scarce, and where, despite pious anticlericalism, there is the highest rate of church attendance in Spain. 1 Today in Spain only about 15 percent of the population still works IN THE summer of 1987 the priest of Santa Maria del Monte, a village in on the land, a significant drop from 1950, when nearly half the population the Cantabrian foothills of Spain, told me the following story: was employed in farm work (Tezanos 1986:52-53). 2 Thus in this paper I I remember I once scandalized a man, scared him. I was in charge of a village offer an analysis of the religious beliefs and practices of a very small mi­ in the mountains, very far from here. And there was a saint, the work of a nority of rural people, most of them "on their way to their tombs," as popular saint-carver, and it was very badly made; it was horrible.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil Society and Religion: Retrospective Reflections on Catholicism and Prospective Reflections on Islam / BYJOSE CASANOVA
    Civil Society and Religion: Retrospective Reflections on Catholicism and Prospective Reflections on Islam / BYJOSE CASANOVA E of the most surprising and unexpected aspects of the global resurgence of civil society has been the role that religion has played in this emergence. It was surprising and unexpected at least for most social scientists and for all those who took for granted the main premises of the theory of secularization: that religion in the modern world is likely to decline and become increasingly privatized, marginal, and politically irrelevant (Casanova, 1994b). Insofar as this global resurgence is intrinsi- cally linked with the "third wave of democratization," one can eas- ily follow its flows from Southern Europe (Spain) to South America (Brazil), to Eastern Europe (Poland), to East Asia (Philippines and South Korea), to South Africa. In all these cases—and one could add many others—the role of religion, of religious institutions, and of social movements that either had a religious identity or were influenced by religion, was significant. In particular, the Catholic Church and Catholic groups played a crucial role in many of those democratic transitions—to such an extent that Samuel Huntington (1991) and others (Casanova, 1996) have argued rightly that the third wave of democratization was predominantly a Catholic wave. Roughly two-thirds of the 30- some countries that have undergone successful transitions to SOCIAL RESEARCH, Vol. 68, No. 4 (Winter 2001) 1042 SOCIAL RESEARCH democracy since the mid-1970s were Catholic.
    [Show full text]
  • REGISTER Were Annonnced at That Time Will' in Europe
    r*," Be Invested it! U . S. Is M isle d on Spain, D e n ve r C ou p le Find.“L®clf/,!beriChamberlain on Jan. 21 + + The -Very Rev. Moniignor week’* ‘‘Denver Catholic Regis­ A prominent Denver couple who spent six months and Member of Audit Bureau of Circulation William J. Kelly will be vetted ter.” They are the Rt. Rev. Mon- traveled 8,000 miles in Spain returned home with an en­ George E. Cranmers Contents Copyrighted by the Catholic Press Society, Inc., 1950—Permission to Reproduce, Except on with the robet of a Private signors John P. Moran, Leo M. tirely different estimate of that nation and its government Articles Otherwise Marked, Given After 12 M. Friday Following Issue. Cbemberlain to Hit Holinett, Flynn, and John Judnic. than is usually conveyed by the press of the U. ,S. Mr. and Viewed Spain Pint XII, in ceremoniet in St- Mery’t church, Colorado Springt, Mrs, George E. Cranmer found Spain the most favored spot With Open Minds on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. Holyoke Girl in Europe today, and have high Archbithop Urban J. Vehr will Enters Novitiate praise for the people and condi­ music in Dresden, Germany, de­ officiate in the ceremoniet. tions there. clares that “it is tragic that we Montignor Kelly, who it tuperin- Mr. Cranmer, former director have been fed such false propa­ tendent of tchoolt in St. Mary't of parks and improvements in ganda about Spain. Why have parith, wat one of a group of Denver, and his wife went to we senf aid to Salazar, to Tito, DENVERCATHaiC four priettt in the archdiocete Spain last March as tourists in ­ and to Peron, and have refused whote reception of Papal honort tending to stay but a short time.
    [Show full text]
  • Politics, Religion and Sociology in Spain: the History of a Discipline
    chapter 10 Politics, Religion and Sociology in Spain: The History of a Discipline Mar Griera The development of the sociology of religion in Spain has been both belated and difficult: Belated in comparison with other neighboring countries where the discipline was institutionalized and acquired an academic grounding many years ago, and difficult for having been caught in repeated reverses due to the political instability that the country experienced during the twentieth century through the course of two dictatorships and a bloody civil war. This is not a condition specific to the sociology of religion, however, but rather to that of sociology in general. As some authors have noted, “what distinguishes Spanish sociology from that of other European countries is that it was born later” (Miguel and Moyer 1979: 6). In many respects, it was not until the 1980s, and only after the end of the Franco dictatorship, that the discipline was able to develop with assurances of continuity and stability within Spanish universities. This is not to say that the history of sociology in Spain is entirely encompassed within the last forty years. Since the late nineteenth century there have been various attempts to promote sociological thought within the country. The first efforts in this field were varied and ranged from the Catalan anar- chists who claimed sociology as a form of emancipatory knowledge (Torns 1989), to the Madrid Krausists who considered it to be related to science, to the Catholics influenced by Rerum Novarum who saw in sociology the primary means to tackle social problems and carry out reforms in this context (Álvarez- Uría and Varela 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • The Catholic Church and Nationalism in Spain and in Catalonia During Franco Period
    THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND NATIONALISM IN SPAIN AND IN CATALONIA DURING FRANCO PERIOD A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY PELĠN DOYGUN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SEPTEMBER 2018 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Çitak Aytürk Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. KürĢad Ertuğrul (METU, ADM) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Çitak Aytürk (METU, IR) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Övünç Ongur (TOBB-ETU, TAR) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Pelin Doygun Signature: iii ABSTRACT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND NATIONALISM IN SPAIN AND IN CATALONIA DURING FRANCOIST ERA Doygun, Pelin M.S., Department of International Relations Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zana Çitak Aytürk September, 2018, 164 pages This thesis is an attempt to understand the role of the Catholic Church in Spain and in Catalonia, and their respective attitudes towards the Franco regime.
    [Show full text]
  • Andalusia Spain Culinaria with European Art Curator Ronni Baer & Chef Deborah Hansen November 12 –19, 2017 • Granada & Seville, Spain Granada
    Andalusia Spain Culinaria with European Art Curator Ronni Baer & Chef Deborah Hansen November 12 –19, 2017 • Granada & Seville, Spain Granada Beyond the magnificent Moorish Alhambra, visitors will find a distinctive cuisine and a charming city that was once home to celebrated writers and artists. Like Agra, India, and the Taj Mahal, the Andalusian city of Granada in southern Spain is so well known for a single monument—the Alhambra, a walled fortress housing magnificent 13th- to 15th-century Moorish palaces and gardens—that the city itself is sometimes overlooked. With more than two million visitors descending on the Alhambra, a Unesco World Heritage site, every year, the city’s tourism industry had settled into a somewhat formulaic routine of shuttling visitors in and out of the city in about 24 hours. But recently, some other ancient structures have been restored, and the region’s distinc- tive gastronomy has come into its own. The city that was home to the poet Federico García Lorca, the painter José Guerrero, and the composer Manuel de Falla has deep cultural roots, but now a new crop of small foundations and independent exhibition spaces has revived its arty buzz. Let the Alhambra wait a bit while getting seduced by the city that has grown up around it. Andrew Ferren New York Times (August 10, 2017) Granada seems to specialize in evocative history and good liv- ing. Settle down in the old center and explore monuments of the Moorish civilization and its conquest. Taste the treats of a North African-flavored culture that survives here today.
    [Show full text]