Abstract
European Studies
Worth reading, but with serious limitations: this is not a book that matches its cover. The documents are interesting, but the general introduction is far too short, while the ‘theme-specific introductions’ are perfunctory, as are those to individual documents. It is valuable to see photographs and advertisements included as sources, but the coverage of culture is far too brief. Indeed, it is odd to see a cultural history that leaves out architecture, sculpture, music, Dali, Gaudi, Lorca and much else. Nor is there much of an effort to move beyond a heavily politicized account. The book is described as ‘well-balanced’ but the ‘Abstract’ for the section on ‘Political Power and the Law’ suggests it is not. Hopefully, another group of editors will rise to the challenge. It would in particular be interesting to see how much can be gained by moving beyond the context of national exceptionalism in order to consider a perspective in which the key cultural conditions and changes are international. This certainly is the best way to consider technological developments, secularism, urbanization, car culture, gender consciousness, the impact of American models of behaviour, television and much else. So also with the need, if the focus instead is on Spain, to devote more attention to regionalism and regional trends.