Symbol and Ritual in the New Spain: The Transition to Democracy after Franco (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies)

This is a book about the role of culture in social change and the transition to democracy of post-Franco Spain. Since General Franco's death in 1975, Spanish political life has seen an extraordinarily quiescent "period of consensus," unique in its own history. Laura Desfor Edles takes a distinctively culturalist approach to this "strategy of consensus" and institutionalization of democracy, and uncovers the processes of symbolization and ritualization that characterize it.

"Laura Desfor Edles' cultural analysis of the Spanish transition is absolutely pertinent and accurate because it focuses on the symbolic transformation fundamental to reaching democracy despite a split in collective memory. Dr. Edles' book never misses a theoretical reference, which makes it a brilliant contribution to transition theory. It is a well-documented work which follows the ritual process of the establishment of democracy in Spain by means of a detailed analysis of the printed media. Undoubtedly, this is an indispensable book to understanding the Spanish transition." Alfonso Perez-Agote, University of the Basque Country

"The precondition for the peaceful transition to democracy in Spain - and the most puzzling aspect of that transition - was the emergence between 1975 and 1978 of the historically unprecedented 'politics of consensus.' What Edles offers in this book is a powerful explanation of how Spaniards managed to come together at this crucial time through a new system of shared symbols that redefined the sacred and the profane and that, in doing so, allowed for both a peaceful exit from Francoism and the introduction of a new and durable democratic order." Valerie Bunce, Cornell University

I recommend Edle's book wholeheartedly. After reading it, I have not only a fuller grasp of the Spanish transition to democracy, but also a better understanding of the tremendous role cultural factors play in such processes." American Journal of Sociology

"In focusing on culture, cultural change and their role in political change, Edles also offers a new way of analyzing democratization that is much needed and that has clear relevance for democratization elsewhere in the world--for instance, in Latin America, eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This is a book, therefore, that needs to be read not just by specialists in Spain, but, more generally, by scholars interested in the transformation of dictatorships into democracies." Valerie Bunce, Cornell University

"Edle's discussion of political rhetoric during the transition will be quite useful to students of Spain." Journal of Ritual Studies