IJASOS- International E-journal of Advances in Social Sciences

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.