Vox and the use of history: A narrative of Spain´s remote past as a political tool

Abstract

The expression public use of history refers to a common practice by State institutions and political parties, of enhancing certain interpretations of the past with the aim to foster values and ideological stands in the present. This paper analyses the behavior in this sense of the political party Vox, which has been subject of journalistic but not academic approach, and which is particularly relevant for several reasons. Vox stands out for its intense use of historical references in its political communication, as well as for its emphasis on events from the remote past of Spain, such as the Reconquista and the Imperial period (particularly 16th and 17th century). This study analyses the diverse ways in which Vox appeals to a particular interpretation of Spanish history, which basically retakes the conservative historical national narrative of the 19th century, also predominant in the Francoist period. This historical narrative adopted by the party has however largely been discarded and abandoned by current academic historiography.