Defining Nations: Immigrants and Citizens in Early Modern Spain and Spanish America

by Tamar Herzog

In this book Tamar Herzog explores the emergence of a specifically Spanish concept of community in both Spain and Spanish America in the eighteenth century. Challenging the assumption that communities were the natural result of common factors such as language or religion, or that they were artificially imagined, Herzog reexamines early modern categories of belonging. She argues that the distinction between those who were Spaniards and those who were foreigners came about as local communities distinguished between immigrants who were judged to be willing to take on the rights and duties of membership in that community and those who were not.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2003

About the author

Tamar Herzog is Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs and Radcliffe Alumnae Professor in the History Department at Harvard University, and Affiliated Faculty Member at Harvard Law School.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good on Castilian citizenship and vecindad. Doesn't really cover the other juridical regions of Spain, though (except to bring up a couple specific examples). Doesn't have the strongest storyline...