Flamenco Nation: The Construction of Spanish National Identity

How did flamenco—a song and dance form associated with both a despised ethnic minority in Spain and a region frequently derided by Spaniards—become so inexorably tied to the country’s culture? Sandie Holguín focuses on the history of the form and how reactions to the performances transformed from disgust to reverance over the course of two centuries.

Holguín brings forth an important interplay between regional nationalists and image makers actively involved in building a tourist industry. S...