Symbol and Ritual in the New Spain

• Part I. Interpreting the Spanish Transition to Democracy: 1. Introduction; 2. Theories of transition and transitions in theory; 3. Spain: a history of divisions and democracy; Part II. The Symbolic Basis of Spanish Consensus: 4. The spirit of consensus: the core representations of the Spanish transition; 5. The curtain rises: the first democratic elections; 6. The 1977 Moncloa pacts and ritualization of communality; Part III. Conflict and Consensus in the Institutionalization of Spanish Democracy: 7. Democratic reaggregation and the 1978 Constitution; 8. The Basque exception: questions of communality and democracy; 9. Conclusion and epilogue.

"Laura Desfor Edles' cultural analysis of the Spanish transition is absolutely pertinent and accurate because it focuses on the symbolic transformation fundamental to reaching democracy despite a split in collective memory. Dr. Edles' book never misses a theoretical reference, which makes it a brilliant contribution to transition theory. It is a well-documented work which follows the ritual process of the establishment of democracy in Spain by means of a detailed analysis of the printed media. Undoubtedly, this is an indispensable book to understanding the Spanish transition." Alfonso Perez-Agote, University of the Basque Country