Who Are the Spaniards? Nationalism and Identification in Spain

National and ethnic identity are the subject of a wide range of sociological theories. Our analysis focuses on nationalism and identity in Spain. Our data come from a probability sample of respondents in a 1992 survey. We employ measures of individual attachment to Spain that tap two dimensions: sen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 1998-12, Vol.77 (2), p.587-621
Main Authors: Bollen, Kenneth, Medrano, Juan Diez
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Cultural identity
Economic development
Economic regions
Ethnic identity
Ethnicity
General studies. Ideologies
Identification
Identity
Morale
Nation states
National Identity
Nationalism
Overdevelopment
Political mobilization
Political sociology
Probability
Regional identity
Relationship
Respondents
Sensory perception
Social aspects
Sociology
Spain
Spaniards
Theory
Thinking skills
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Summary:National and ethnic identity are the subject of a wide range of sociological theories. Our analysis focuses on nationalism and identity in Spain. Our data come from a probability sample of respondents in a 1992 survey. We employ measures of individual attachment to Spain that tap two dimensions: sense of belonging to Spain and feelings of morale associated with this identity. We estimate a measurement model that substantiates these two dimensions. We also present and test different hypotheses about the roles of ethnic origin, economic development, economic specialization, and education on attachment to Spain. Our statistical analyses reveal that respondent's ethnic origin (birth and residence in a culturally distinct region) and education have the strongest negative influences on attachment. Among the macro structural conditions, economic specialization of a region has the greatest negative impact on attachment. Furthermore, our descriptive analysis of the regional patterns of sense of belonging and feelings of morale with respect to Spain reveal some predictable patterns and some surprises in the regional rankings.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1093/sf/77.2.587