From National-Catholicism to Democratic Patriotism? Democratisation and reconstruction of national pride: The case of Spain (1981-2000)

Abstract

Attachment to the nation is often seen as a stable attitude that provides a 'reservoir of diffuse support' for a country, beyond any specific institutional setting. However, I argue that certain, deep, social and political changes in a country may imply a reconstruction of nationhood, that should modify the social bases of support for the nation. I test this hypothesis in the Spanish case, by tracing the changes in the impact of ideology, religion and region of residence on the intensity of national pride during and after the transition from Francoism to democracy. Results show an evolution that is congruent with my theoretical expectations, even if the process seems to be incomplete and, for certain variables, highly mediated by political cycles.