The Two Contemporary Spains: Plurinationalism, Nostalgia and Vox

The Sobremesa Podcast

This week Eoghan sits down to talk to Dr. Brittany Kennedy from Tulane University about the two contemporary Spains. On August 17th the new speaker of the Spanish parliament recognised the right for MPs to intervene in the Congreso using the three minority languages of Spain: Catalan, Basque and Gallego - thus ensuring the state's democratic institutions better reflected the diverse and plurinational nature of the country. At the same time, Spain has also witnessed a reactionary wave over the last 5 years, in which authoritarian right-wing populisms have drawn on the symbols and elements of the past to articulate a revitalised exclusionary nationalism. Eoghan and Brittany discuss these two interconnecting phenomenon, as well as Spain's women's World Cup team, Cola Cao ads and why it might be okay to like Semana Santa!