Educational discourse in Spain during the early Franco regime (1936–1943): toward a genealogy of doctrine and concepts

2015

In this article an analysis is undertaken of Spanish educational discourse during the early years of the Franco regime, from the Civil War (1936–1939) to the establishment of the Nuevo Estado or New State (1939–1943), employing Reinhart Koselleck’s principles of conceptual history. Without totally spurning the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the new regime, this educational discourse constructed an imagined community of Espana Nacional (Nationalist Spain) by means of a historical narrative that began with the uprising led by General Franco in July 1936. The discourse sought to recover the importance of the nation’s traditions so as to promote a conceptual and symbolic imaginary that mi…