Anglo-American Hispanists and the Spanish Civil War : Hispanophilia, Commitment, and Discipline

What do you do when a beloved foreign country plunges into civil war? And how do you square your political views on that war with the demands of scholarly objectivity? In this book, Sebastiaan Faber assesses the long-term impact of the Spanish Civil War on Hispanic Studies as an academic field in the United States and Great Britain. Combining institutional history with biography, the book gives a compelling account of the dilemmas that the war posed for four Hispanists who turned their love of Spain into their life’s work. "From what may seem like unpromising material, Sebastiaan Faber has produced an utterly fascinating study. Elegantly and perceptively written, this thoroughly researched book illuminates brilliantly the political labyrinth which many American scholars had to navigate in the 1930s and 1950s and, indeed, still do today. At the same time, it goes a long way to explaining why Spain and particularly its civil war engaged and continues to engage the passions of Anglo-Saxon writers."--Paul Preston author of We Saw Spain Die: Foreign Correspondents in the Spanish Civil War "Affect, ideology, and the canons of academic rigor: in this insightful and wide-ranging study, Faber explores how these three sets of forces - often at odds with each other - shape the work of British and American scholars of Spain. Focusing on the participant/observer tension that frequently haunts the work of scholars who are called upon to interpret and judge contemporary events (such as the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship), Faber sheds a fascinating new light on the history and current state of Hispanic Studies in the United States and Great Britain, and, more broadly, the constitutive tensions at the core of any scholarly enterprise."--James D. Fernandez, Associate Professor and Founding Director, King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center of NYU Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Part I: Hispanophilia, Commitment, and Discipline......Page 12 1 Introduction......Page 14 2 Labor of Love: Hispanism as Hispanophilia......Page 28 Part II: Watching Our Tongues, Pens, and Affiliations: American Hispanism and the Spanish Civil War......Page 42 3 Politics and Professionalism: Don’t Mention the War......Page 44 4 U.S. Hispanism and the Quest for Prestige: Genealogy of a Discipline......Page 66 5 Herbert R. Southworth: The Rebirth of the “Amateur” Hispanist......Page 84 6 Paul Patrick Rogers: Frustrations of a Radical Hispanist......Page 108 Part III: “A Balanced and Impartial View”: British Hispanism and the Spanish Civil War......Page 134 7 “An Honest Seeker after Truth”: E. Allison Peers and the Illusion of Impartiality......Page 136 8 “Spain is My Country, Revolution or No Revolution”: Love and Politics in Gerald Brenan......Page 166 9 British Hispanists and the Curse of Conservatism......Page 194 10 Conclusion: Legitimacy and Spanish Civil War Discourse......Page 226 Notes......Page 238 Bibliography......Page 260 B......Page 282 C......Page 283 H......Page 284 J......Page 285 N......Page 286 P......Page 287 S......Page 288 W......Page 289 Preface Acknowledgments Part I Hispanophilia, Commitment, and Discipline 1. Introduction 2. Labor of Love: Hispanism as Hispanophilia Part II Watching Our Tongues, Pens, and Affiliations: American Hispanism and the Spanish Civil War 3. Politics and Professionalism: Don’t Mention the War 4. U.S. Hispanism and the Quest for Prestige: Genealogy of a Discipline 5. Herbert R. Southworth: The Rebirth of the “Amateur” Hispanist 6. Paul Patrick Rogers: Frustrations of a Radical Hispanist Part III “A Balanced and Impartial View”: British Hispanism and the Spanish Civil War 7. “An Honest Seeker after Truth”: E. Allison Peers and the Illusion of Impartiality 8. “Spain is My Country, Revolution or No Revolution”: Love and Politics in Gerald Brenan 9. British Hispanists and the Curse of Conservatism 10. Conclusion: Legitimacy and Spanish Civil War Discourse Notes Bibliography Index Labor Of Love : Hispanism As Hispanophilia -- Politics And Professionalism : Don't Mention The War -- U.s. Hispanism And The Quest For Prestige : Genealogy Of A Discipline -- Herbert R. Southworth : The Rebirth Of The Amateur Hispanist -- Paul Patrick Rogers : Frustrations Of A Radical Hispanist -- An Honest Seeker After Truth : E. Allison Peers And The Illusion Of Impartiality -- Spain Is My Country, Revolution Or No Revolution : Love And Politics In Gerald Brenan -- British Hispanists And The Curse Of Conservatism -- Conclusion : Legitimacy And Spanish Civil War Discourse. Sebastiaan Faber. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [249]-270) And Index. In this book, Faber assesses the long-term impact of the Spanish Civil War on Hispanic Studies as an academic field in the United States and Great Britain. Combining institutional history with biography, the book gives a compelling account of the dilemmas that the war posed for four Hispanists who turned their love of Spain into their life's work. A study of the reactions of American and British scholars of Spain to the Spanish Civil War This book is about the impact of a major political event on an academic field of study.