Over the course of two weeks I tried to summarize in this column what has been the course on Hispanidad that we have held at the Institute of Spain (IdE). Promoted by the new Historical Society of America-Pacific-Spain (SHAPE), of which Christian Careaga and I are directors.
On the last day of the Course, Ambassador Eduardo Garrigues referred to the “Awakening of the independence movement and Spain’s help to the emancipation of the United States.” And Ramiro Aurín closed the cycle, with his ideas of “The new Hispanicity, 20th and 21st centuries.”
The closing was led by the President of the IdE, Prof. Luis Cazorla, with very lucid words about how the Royal Academies contribute to the science and culture of Spain. Previously, Isabel Fuentes, Director of CaixaFórum Madrid, expressed the interest of the Caixa Group in the historical culture of Spain, on behalf of its President, Isidro Fainé, who supported the course decisively. And in which each speaker has contributed to identifying and appreciating today’s Hispanicity, made up of six hundred million Spanish speakers on four continents.
Andrés Ollero, Secretary of the IdE, participated in the organization and development of the Course; Jesús V. Contreras, Academic Director of the Course, in addition to Christian Careaga, Deputy Director of the same, Begoña González Huerta, as Coordinator, and the undersigned, as Director.
From SHAPE we will continue in the gap, and you will learn about the journey through the immense and interesting scene of History. And rereading Arnold Toynbee, there is no doubt that the reality of historical development surpasses the best of fictions.
NOTA BENE: This article is dedicated especially to Prof. Emilio de Diego, our best historian of the 19th and 20th centuries, who was going to give one of the conferences. But he was unable to do so due to a sudden illness that kept him hospitalized. With great admiration we remember Emilio, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.