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Culture and National Images: American Studies vs. Anti-Americanism in Spain

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US Public Diplomacy and Democratization in Spain

Part of the book series: Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy ((GPD))

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Abstract

In November 1949, a report by the American public diplomatic corps admitted that up until that point, little attention had been paid to promote American Studies: Only a decade ago [1939], the institutions offering programs in American Civilization4 [inside the United States] ‘could be counted almost on the fingers of one hand’ (…) Few of us would then have recognized that title as having academic status.5

Through the encouragement of American Studies overseas, we have tried to stimulate leaders, scholars, teachers, writers and students to take American civilization seriously, to learn and teach more about us and about our past.1

To manage empire, particularly the American version of informal empire, it is crucial to maintain alliances and nurture friends.2

The power of cultural diplomacy doesn’t lie in its ability to provide instant strategies for conflict resolution. It lies in building ongoing collaborations and exchanges to facilitate mutual understanding that can prevent future prejudice and violence born of misinformation and misunderstanding.3

This paper was written in the framework of the research projects: “Estados Unidos y la España del desarrollo (1959–1975): diplomacia pública, cambio social y transición política” (Ministry of Science and Innovation, HAR2010–21694), and “Difusión y recepción de la cultura de Estados Unidos en España, 1959–1975” (Franklin Institute-UAH). Abbreviations used: American Studies Association (ASA); Ford Foundation Archive (FFA); Library of the Congress (LC); The National Archives (NARA). I would like to thank Tamar Groves. This text has benefited from her wise—sometimes, harsh—criticism.

University of Salamanca/Real Colegio Complutense, Harvard University.

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Notes

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Authors
  1. Francisco Javier Rodríguez Jiménez
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Francisco Javier Rodríguez Jiménez Lorenzo Delgado Gómez-Escalonilla Nicholas J. Cull

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© 2015 Francisco J. Rodríguez, Lorenzo Delgado, and Nicholas J. Cull

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Rodríguez Jiménez, F.J. (2015). Culture and National Images: American Studies vs. Anti-Americanism in Spain. In: Rodríguez Jiménez, F.J., Gómez-Escalonilla, L.D., Cull, N.J. (eds) US Public Diplomacy and Democratization in Spain. Palgrave Macmillan Series in Global Public Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137461452_6

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