Schmidt-Nowara's excellent and persuasively argued book pushes the limits of empire studies, particularly through the examination of nation-building outside of a nationalist context. Fundamentally, this is a study of the art of interpretation and a clear example of the ways that textual and discourse analysis are ideological arms in the battle for the control over recounting the past. This book is essential for anyone interested in empire studies, comparative colonial studies, or the literature and culture of the Spanish, Philippine, or Antillean nineteenth century. - Journal of Spanish Cultural Studies ""Schmidt-Nowara engagingly examines different ways Spanish intellectuals approached their country's colonial experience and the often antithetical arguments made by intellectuals in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Well written and documented, this study is valuable for historians of ideas and the writing of history, as well as historians of Spain and Spanish America. Highly recommended."" - Choice