The Grandchildren of Galicia: Lived and Imagined Citizenship

Abstract

The Spanish Law of Historical Memory, approved in 2007, included a specific provision (the seventh additional provision) that granted Spanish citizenship to “persons whose father or mother was originally Spanish and grandchildren of those who lost or had to renounce Spanish citizenship as a result of exile”. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the motivations behind these applications for citizenship in the case of the descendants of Galician emigrants. Are these reasons primarily related to identity in terms of recognition of family roots, or to pragmatic concerns derived from the opportunities offered by possession of a European nationality? To answer these questions I have draw upon qualitative research methods including life stories, in-depth interviews and participant observation. This analysis sheds light on the complex factors that influence the intergenerational transmission of identity and the experiences of family migration.