Constructions of Spain and Spanishness in British and other anglophone popular cultures

Abstract

Recent research has examined the ways in which Spain and Spanishness have been construed by foreigners from the Middle Ages to the end of the twentieth century. Varela Ortega identifies four main Spanish stereotypes. Two are positive: the brave Spaniard and the passionate Spaniard. The other two are negative: the idle Spaniard and the degenerate Spaniard. This article analyses how Spain and Spanishness were portrayed in six promotional videos by six of the most successful anglophone music artists of the 1980s, the decade when music videos became a crucial element in the music industry and in popular culture. These artists are Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Nik Kershaw, Madonna, The Pogues and Simple Minds. This research shows that, in the last part of the twentieth century, Spaniards were mainly perceived in English-speaking popular cultures according to the two positive stereotypes identified by Varela Ortega. In those videos, Spanish bravery and passion are recurrently embodied by bullfighters and flamenco female dancers, and on one occasion by Don Quixote. Some of these artists embrace those stereotypes that characterized Spanishness. One video portrays Spain as a ‘Romantic’ land. Only one video projects the negative stereotype of an underdeveloped Spain.