Forging democratic citizens: mass nationalization on a local level in the Spanish Second Republic (1931–6)

Abstract

The local arena provides an excellent framework for the study of practices linked to the reproduction of national identities in interwar Europe. This article analyses the transmission and reproduction of a democratic and secular national identity on a local level during the Spanish Second Republic (1931–6). Using a micro-historical approach, the study examines the processes of nationalization of the population in the town of Alagón, an industrial locality 15 miles north of Saragossa. More specifically, the article explores how municipal institutions in Alagón nationalized residents in the public sphere, paying special attention to policies concerning education, political and religious symbols, and holiday celebrations. The text also investigates how private associations transmitted identities, including folk groups, religious brotherhoods, and the local theatre and cinema. Finally, the article explores how the nation was reproduced in the family and the domestic realm. Drawing comparisons with other European cases, the investigation shows the limits of government-controlled, top-down nationalizations and underlines the importance of material culture and daily consumption in the transmission and assimilation of national identities.