Date of Graduation
Fall 12-18-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)
College/School
College of Arts and Sciences
Department/Program
International Studies
First Advisor
Lucia Cantero
Abstract
On December 20, Spain will hold national elections to determine the new prime minister and national and local parliaments. These elections will be another crossroads in the long history of Spain. The elections come about in a political and social atmosphere of ‘change’ and ‘regeneration,’ marked by the rise of two new political parties, Podemos and Ciudanos. These parties are the new forces in the political scene in Spain. This atmosphere of change is the result of the 2008 economic crisis. The economic crisis of 2008 was not only an economic crisis in Spain, but it provoked a political and social crisis. It became a crisis of Spanish post-modernity. The crisis of 2008 revealed the inherent weaknesses, fallacies, and illusions of Spanish modernity, a product of Francisco Franco’s regime of 36 years. People in Spain are now demanding change in politics due to austerity measures, lack of jobs, decrease in wages, corruption, and political incompetence. This leads to the question of, what is the power structure in Spain? The State? The nation? The economy? In this thesis, I explore a continuation of elite power through the state and how it produces a society of crisis, injustice, and inequality. Furthermore, it produces subjectivities and life itself. I use critical theory and an historical perspective to provide an analysis of the current situation in Spain.
Recommended Citation
Mason, Matthew, "Power, Subjectivity, and Life in Spain: A Continuation of Elite Power" (2015). Master's Theses. 158.
https://repository.usfca.edu/thes/158
Included in
Human Ecology Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Other International and Area Studies Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Political Theory Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Regional Sociology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons, Work, Economy and Organizations Commons
