The Battle for Education in the Spanish Liberal Revolution. (4th July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: López Alós, Javier
• Is Part Of: Hispanic research journal. Volume 18:Number 4(2017)
• Page Start: 320
• Page End: 337
• Publication Date: 2017-07-04
• Subjects: Education -- liberal revolution -- Spain -- secularisation -- sovereignty -- conceptual history; Educación -- revolución liberal -- España -- secularización -- soberanía -- historia conceptual; Language and culture -- Spanish-speaking countries -- Periodicals; Language and culture -- Portuguese-speaking countries -- Periodicals; Spanish philology -- Periodicals; Portuguese philology -- Periodicals; Spain -- Civilization -- Periodicals; Portugal -- Civilization -- Periodicals; Latin America -- Civilization -- Periodicals; 909.097561
• DOI: 10.1080/14682737.2017.1337860
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-2737

Abstract

Abstract: Education represents one of the pivotal debates that took place during the era of Liberal Revolution in Spain. The controversies that surrounded education — particularly following the outbreak of the Peninsular War — cannot be understood without addressing their fundamentally political nature. This article adopts a historical-conceptual perspective to examine the link between public education and sovereignty; it interrogates how distinct perspectives on this subject reflect a particular notion of the relationship between civil and religious power. The events of 1808 and the Cortes de Cádiz allow a reformulation of the relationship between the Church and the State, which had been growing in complexity since the era of the Bourbon Reforms. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the ways in which, particularly in periods of crisis, pedagogical discourses and practices become central to historical semantics. Revolving around the concept of sovereignty, the battle for education enables us to develop our understanding of the way in which public instruction is linked to fundamental questions in the origins of liberal Spain, such as regalism and secularisation.