Asymmetry and the Political: Paradigms for a Cultural History of the Iberian Twentieth Century
Asymmetry and the Political: Paradigms for a Cultural History of the Iberian Twentieth Century
This chapter argues that in the twentieth century the Iberian peninsula was a space of asymmetric relations of cultures and nations differing in status, power, and size. Two axes of asymmetry are distinguished: asymmetrical multinationalism and asymmetries between ideological and cultural identifications. Asymmetry and the notion of the political, understood as an irreducible “agonism” (Mouffe) between two parties, represent epistemological and hermeneutic keys to specifically (though not exclusively) Iberian cultural phenomena. Based on historical examples like guerrilla warfare and contemporary political culture (the controversy surrounding the papeles de Salamanca (2005-2006), the article shows how the cultural and political experiences of asymmetry create asymmetric knowledge and identity narratives. Finally, the article discusses proven avenues for achieving a lasting settlement of asymmetry-based conflicts as for example recognition, dialogue or friendship, and highlights the critical role the dialectical “figure of the third” plays in these processes.
Keywords: Iberian studies, 20th century, asymmetry, politics, political culture, agonism, recognition, figure of the third, guerrilla, Spain
Liverpool Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
