The Black Legend and the Abuses of Memory. Reflections on current historiographical Nationalism in Spain

Abstract

This article analyzes the current historiographical nationalism in Spain. It examines the very popular recent resurgence of the Black Legend, the characteristics and the role played in recent years by a highly politicized historical disseminators, as well as the effects of these new historical narratives in the field of politics, especially in a party like Vox. What is observed is that the Black Legend appears as a very popular and unrenounceable framework at the political level from the Spanish right that, however, on its own has been unable to provide an affirmative and/or identity narrative. For this reason, in many cases it has had to be complemented by others such as the Spanish imperial memory, the Reconquista or an updated rereading of the Hispanidad. In this way, a historical framework is promoted, based on pre-modern episodes, where the historical nation takes precedence over the idea of people and which in recent years has also been characterized by an important and public internal conflict.