THE ROLE OF LATIN AMERICA IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPANISH CULTURAL POLICY IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Katerina Papaioannou
University of Patras, GREECE, papaioannou.kat@gmail.com

Abstract
This study aims at highlighting the role of Latin America in the context of the development of the cultural strategy of Spain in the 20th century. Latin America was a key area for the development of the Spanish cultural policy mainly due to elements having linked the two countries in the past. In what follows, we present the course of significant actions of Spain since the beginning of the 20th century, such as the establishment of the “Columbus day” (“Día de la raza”) and the action of the Institute of Spanish Culture during the Franco regime. Our aim is to understand and analyze the relationship between Spain and Latin America and investigate how this relationship was exploited by Spain for the organization and implementation of the Spanish cultural strategy at an international level.

During the 20th century, Spain worked towards the creation of a cluster containing all Spanish-speaking countries, since language was identified as an important element unifying peoples. In order to regain its strength in international politics, Spain had to work in a coordinated way and efficiently exploit factors of significant cultural potential, such as language. In terms of culture, Latin America was the space most closely connected to Spain. Therefore, the initial phase of the development of the Spanish cultural strategy was heavily based on the exploitation of the strong cultural bonds between Spain and Latin America.

In this context, we present a detailed analysis on the role of the relationship of Spain with Latin America, we investigate how Spain exploited Latin America for implementing its cultural strategy and discuss whether the Spanish approach succeeded in the promotion of the Spanish cultural heritage at an international level.

Keywords: Cultural policy, Spain, Latin America.