Researching the American West in Spain: Beyond Prejudices and Misconceptions

Abstract

This essay analyzes the history of western American studies in Spain, offering a panoramic view of their genesis, development, and current situation. It is argued that the popularity of the American West in Spanish culture and society in the mid-twentieth century contrasts sharply with its neglect by academia due to a series of prejudices and misconceptions, often related to its almost exclusive association with the so-called formula western. I explore the increasing visibility of western American studies in the last decades of the twentieth century and its consolidation during the present century. In fact, nowadays the literature and culture of the American West receive wide attention in Spain, as illustrated by several activities, groups, individual scholars, and publications that demonstrate the vitality and diversity of this area of research.