Stop Making Sense

TL;DR: The analysis of language and political economy in Spain since the 1970s has neglected the reform of Castilian as the language of the state and of civil society.

Abstract: These words, while not a formal critique of language, crystallize a neglected issue in the analysis of language and political economy in Spain since the 1970s: the reform of Castilian as the language of the state and of civil society. Social scientists analyzing the dismantling of Franco’s authoritarian regime have been attracted by issues of language and power within political arenas (De Miguel, 1985; DiGiacomo, 1986), by education and social change (Woolard, 1989) and, above all, by language and national minorities (Johnston, 1991; Shabad and Gunther, 1982; Strubell Trueta, 1981; Woolard, 1989; Urla, this issue). Studies, however, have tended to focus on alternate Iberian languages, especially Basque and Catalan, as vehicles of resistance to the Castilian-dominant state. While this contrast remains vital to the comprehension of Spain’s political evolution, anthropologists also must examine Castilian-dominant communities and Castilian-based interactions of citizens and the state in order