Join the Diplomatic/International History Working Group for a discussion with Luis G. Martínez del Campo, Complutense University of Madrid.
The idea that language is a source of power is well beyond doubt nowadays, but have governments always been aware of this interconnection?
In this workshop, Dr Luis G. Martínez del Campo, Complutense University of Madrid, will discuss this and other questions. As an expert on cultural diplomacy and European history, Martínez will present a paper on the importance of language centres for Spanish foreign policy during the interwar period. Taking advantage of the European thirst for new markets after World War I, Martínez will argue that Spain exploited its international position to promote and direct contacts between Europe and Latin America. Language was not only a practical advantage for Spain. Crucially, the possibility to teach and further disseminate the Spanish language was an invaluable means by which the Madrid government could further expand its influence across Europe, whilst at the same time maintaining a cultural sphere of influence in Hispanic America. While no longer a metropole, Spain was therefore able to exploit memories of its colonialist past to advance its own interests.
Was this policy, as Martínez contends, a new form of language imperialism ? How should we understand the meaning of language dissemination after decolonisation? And, above all, how significant is language as a tool of diplomacy?
Please contact Francesca Parenti (francesca.parenti@eui.eu) in order to receive the ZOOM link.