The (Not So) Exceptional History of Democracy in Contemporary Spain

Abstract

In this introductory chapter, the editors show the book’s main lines of argument that allow us to challenge the conventional narrative of the history of democracy in contemporary Spain, understood as a history of few and faint flashes. To this end, they underline the need to rethink the myth of backwardness and the exceptional nature of the Spanish case in the international context as a result of new research. First, they examine the well-known history of democracy in contemporary Spain that, from the national level, encompasses the acknowledged milestones of the “failed” process. They then propose a new reading based on a broad and dynamic conception of democratisation processes that emphasises the local scale. The descent to the local level in the study of collective actions and social mobilisations makes it possible to understand that under institutionally undemocratic structures (at the national level) it is possible to trace actions capable of promoting a type of democratic political culture. Finally, this introduction provides a brief description of the different chapters that readers will find in the book.