IBERIAN BOOK SERVICES

Author: William Washabaugh ISBN: 978–4094-3484-9 Format: HB Extent: 168 pp. Price: £50 Publication: April 2012 Publisher: Ashgate

This book explores the efforts of the current government in southern Spain to establish flamenco music as a significant patrimonial symbol and marker of cultural identity. Further, it aims to demonstrate that these Andalusian efforts form part of the ambitious project of rethinking the nation state of Spain, and reconsidering the nature of national identity.

The author documents the development of flamenco’s musical style from 1880 t0 1980, demonstrating how the now conventional characterization of the flamenco style was mediated by krausist, modernist and journalist institutions.At the same time he shows how two recent institutional forces, audio recording and cinema, promote a concept of musical style that sharply contrasts with the conventional notion. Flamenco Nation makes a strong case for advancing the Spanish experiment in nation-building, but also for rethinking nationalism and cultural identity on a global scale.