The New Spaniards Second Edition

by Hooper, John

• ISBN13: 9780141016092
• ISBN10: 0141016094
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-08
• Publisher: Penguin Books

Summary

A masterly portrait of contemporary Spain—fully revised, expanded, and updated Modern-day Spain is a country changing at bewildering speed. In less than half a century, a predominantly rural society has been transformed into a mainly urban one. A dictatorship has become a democracy. A once-repressed society is being spoken of as a future Sweden of the Mediterranean.” John Hooper’s outstanding portrayal of the new Spanish society explores the causes behind these changes, from crime to education, gambling to changing sexual mores. This new, up-to-date edition is the essential guide to understanding twenty-first-century Spain: a land of paradox, progress, and social change.

Author Biography

John Hooper is a journalist whose experience as a foreign correspondent spans more than twenty-five years. He is currently the Rome correspondent for the Economist and the Guardian.

Table of Contents

Introduction : the change in Spain	p. 1
The making of a new Spain
From hunger to prosperity	p. 11
From dictatorship to democracy	p. 26
The centre falls apart	p. 35
Socialist Spain	p. 46
Not-so-socialist Spain	p. 53
Conservative Spain	p. 69
Legacies, memories and phantoms	p. 80
Private domains
Belief and the church : emptying pews	p. 91
Sex : from Francoist prudery to gay marriages	p. 108
Men and women : machismo meltdown	p. 123
Family values and home truths	p. 134
Living on the edge	p. 145
King and country
An engaging monarchy	p. 163
The army : back in step	p. 187
The state : more tax, but less red tape	p. 202
A fissile state
Centrifugal forces	p. 217
The Basques	p. 231
The Catalans	p. 252
The Galicians	p. 265
Autonomy in action	p. 273
A changing society
New arrivals and old prejudices	p. 285
Welfare : the Spanish exception	p. 295
Education : more aspiration than achievement	p. 308
Housing : through the roof	p. 319
Law and disorder	p. 332
New perspectives
The press : more influence than readers	p. 349
New waves : TV and radio	p. 362
A cultural revolution	p. 377
Arts and artists : no limits	p. 397
Changing traditions : flamenco and bullfighting	p. 410
The new Spaniards	p. 427
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