Ethnic and Civic National Consciousness in Pre-Modern Spain

The dominant modernist school of nationalism scholarship claims that nations are modern but are presented as ancient by nationalists. Leading accounts by Anderson and Gellner link the rise of nationalism to the rise of modernity and, especially, modern capitalism, be it print capitalism in the case of Anderson or industrialization in the case of Gellner. Smith objects by stating that a historical analysis proves that nations were not invented but reconstructed out of “ethnic cores” during the modern period in Europe where nations were being formed from the medieval period. Furthermore he suggests that the concept of a nation is a blend of ethnic (based on the ideas of common origin and descent and manifested in a common culture) and civic (political, territorial, educational and economic) elements.

            In the case of Spain, historians commonly accept that the Spanish nation came into existence as a result of the Independence War of 1808 against the Napoleonic invasion. Recent work of Ballester Rodríguez places its rise in early modernity (mid-1550s to mid 1650s). We will review his argument as well as consider other accounts that suggest that Spanish national consciousness may be even older. Starting with a historiographic overview of the existence of proto-nation in pre-modern and early modern Spain (from the age of Roman Hispania to the 17^th century), we will then seek to validate Smith’s thesis on the ethnic and civic tension in nationalism but not during modernity, as it is commonly done, but pre-modernity.  We consequently find the elements of ethnic and civic national consciousness in pre-modern period validating Smith’s thesis.

            In particular, the debate we uncover places the birth of Spanish collective identity in the 12-13^th centuries, shortly before the birth of the English and French ones although a proto-Spanish identity existed already in the Roman Empire. Centered on Christianity in the face of Arab expansion, medieval Spanish identity merged with that of Castile in the aftermath of its union with Aragon in 1479.

            Its ethnic elements can be tracked to the 6^th century when the ban on ethnic intermarriage between was lifted. During the 13^th and 14^th centuries Catholic identity singled out Jews and Muslims giving birth to anti-Semitism that has survived to this day despite a civic religious discourse that placed Spain as the chosen land to bring Christianity and civilization to the rest of the world. Ethnic vision continued in the colonies where Indians and half-breeds were relegated to underclasses. At the same time, the elements of the civic understanding of collectivity survived from the Roman times: anyone could join a Castilian community as long as his or her intention was genuine. A case may be made, therefore, for existence of Spanish collective (proto-national) identity with both ethnic and civic elements in pre-modern times and even as early as late Antiquity.