Some thoughts on Spain...

Upon my arrival to Spain, I noticed a lot of differences from both the United States and Latin America.  Up until that point in time, the only two countries that I really had a handle on were the United States and the Dominican Republic. I was born in Boston to Dominican parents that were determined to raise me bi-culturally. Every summer, I was sent to the Dominican Republic to practice my Spanish, bond with my family, and enjoy the country. The rest of the year was spent blending my Dominican and American identities, learning how to navigate both political and social systems, and trying to fit in.

In my mind, Spain was supposed to be almost a combination of the two of these places. First, the Dominican Republic because this Caribbean country has obvious forced roots to Spain through the violent colonization and heavy influence Spain had on the Dominican Republic as well as other Latin American countries. I expected Spain to be much like the United States because of its economic and social power. I was both right and wrong. Spain very recently moved from Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in 1975, creating its current constitution in 1978. Franco’s political and social oppression maintained a very homogenous state, as he silenced any idea or movement that deviated from his agenda. In the years after the dictatorship, Spain has experienced economic successes, especially with its position in the European Union, but is also currently affected by the economic crisis hitting many countries.

Socially, Spain is still very homogenous. There are more and more LGBT groups being established and supported and in 2005, same-sex marriage was legalized. This is indicative of some progress, however, it is important to examine the ways in which LGBT issues and rights are engaged in the public and private spheres including the media, schools, and government policies.  I think this is very similar to the United States where there is still a very long road to travel before equality, in terms of sexuality, is reached. This is beyond same-sex marriage and “appeasing” certain populations. This is talking about reaching a place where there is real social, political, and economic equality.

The same can be said for the racial climate in Spain. Immigration began in the 1990s, where, like in the US, many of the immigrants went to Spain as workers and became stereotyped as such. The hyper-visible immigrants in Spain are of color and generally from Latin America and Northern Africa. It is important to realize that there is also a lot of immigration from other parts of Europe, the UK, and Ireland but since these immigrants blend more easily into the dominant population they are not as problematized as immigrants and people of color are.

People of color in Spain make up about 12% of the population. It is difficult to find data on people of color because Spain collects information based on country of origin but not in respect to racial/ethnic identity. There are many controlling images circulating around people of color and there is a lot of animosity towards these immigrant groups. Women of color that have darker skin are very hyper-sexualized and deemed prostitutes where as Asian women are also hyper-sexualized but in a way that puts them on this “sexual pedestal.” Men of color are criminalized and demonized and heavily surveilled by the state, especially the police. This is very similar to the way that racism functions within the United States. The biggest difference is that Spain is much more public and open about its racist views and practices where as the United States has made it a point to privatize and invisiblize racism.

It is perfectly acceptable for someone to make a blatantly racist comment in Spain and it will generally go unchallenged. It is more common in the United States for these racist comments to be addressed or these comments are privatized and will not be made in front of people of color. It has definitely been very interesting to see the different ways in which racism has been exhibited both towards me and in my presence. This has created a very hostile environment for me personally and on a social level between Spaniards and those who have been labeled “others” racially, and as aforementioned, through sexual orientation and gender.