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This thesis is an examination of the role, experiences and contribution of the volunteers who fought in the British Battalion of the 15 International Brigade, in Spain's civil war of 1936-1939. The study analyses the composition of the British contingent, particularly their social, economic and political background, but also other aspects, such as their age and geographical origin. It examines the motivations of the volunteers, using the wealth of memoir and interview material, to explain why almost two and a half thousand men and women left Britain to fight 'in a far away country.' The volunteers' experiences within Spain are traced, from the 'first few' who fought with the multifarious militia units in the defence of Madrid in the autumn and winter of 1936, to the creation and development of the International Brigades, into which these volunteers and the later arrivals were integrated in early 1937. The role of the volunteers in the battles around Madrid of 1936-1937, and the battles of Aragon in 1937-38, is examined in particular detail. The narrative strand of the thesis concludes with an examination of the brutal experiences of the British captured and imprisoned by the Rebels during the war. Finally, the thesis discusses some of the more contentious issues surrounding the role of the volunteers in the British Battalion in Spain. The organisation of the brigades and the role of the Comintern, and the maintenance of discipline, desertions, and the execution of volunteers are all examined closely. The study concludes that discipline was indeed tough in the International Brigades, particularly as all the members of the battalion were, after all, volunteers. However, it is argued that, in the main, this discipline was driven by military, rather than political necessity, and recent studies have over-played the extent of 'Stalinist' control within the battalion.

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Through the analysis of artistic and written artifacts, this dissertation attempts to reflect upon the cultural and political conditions that conjoin to constitute a highly unstable "Galizan identity". The dissertation will begin by reading how a graphic work by the single most central figure in modern Galizan nationalism managed to convey such unstable identity. It will then go on to assess how culture in general, and literary production in particular might be used to mobilize the social elements that would liberate a potential Galizan identity/nation, according to the terms of a contemporary Galizan manifesto-cum-declaration and under the conditions which have historically produced the cultural, social and political map of the Iberian Peninsula. The special situation of Galiza comes across, thus, as perhaps the most complex identitarian conflict of those locked up by the Spanish Kingdom. Amongst all the potential indicators of a "Galizan identity", language retains a hegemonic position (of which the artifacts under study here are perfect paradigms) at the same time that it has become the privileged territory for the confrontation of different national projects. The combination of this cultural constituent factor with other historic elements allows for the categorization of Galiza as an enclave in an unequal dialectical relationship. This characterization depends, however, upon the privileged status given to the Nation-State in Modernity as the site of political sovereignty. Assuming as much, the artifacts analysed in this dissertation can only present Galiza as being either a nation's "amputated/occupied segment" or a "forbidden" nation (without "its own Nation-State"). Nevertheless, in the Global Era, the "suspended" condition of Galizan identity may become one of the aporetic paradigms of subjectivity at the beginning of the new century: Galizans can and cannot be (an)other thing. Their incompleteness is, thus, not only the very condition of their foreignness to the two Nation-States of the Iberian Peninsula but, above all, to the modern political construct that the Nation-State is.

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This thesis will examine literary representations of the city of Madrid from the late sixteenth to seventeenth century, with a specific focus on the period of 1600-­‐1650. My analysis incorporates a multi-­‐genre approach that will include historiography, ephemeral text, festival books, poetry, entremés and prose fiction in order to provide the widest consideration of early modern Madrid through the literature it produced. Several scholars of Golden Age Madrid, such as Garcia Santo-­Tomás, Elliott, and Romero-­Díaz, have highlighted the need to move away from the static Maravallian dichotomy of power and resistance by which the Baroque has been characterised, and towards an approach that instead examines it from a point of view of its dynamism. The literature of early modern Madrid presents a conflictive image of both attraction and repugnance. On the one hand, there is an ‘official’ discourse of the city that looks to the court as its frame of reference, representing a powerful court capital. However, on the other hand, the same literature projects an ‘unofficial’ discourse, a dystopian nightmare where people starved to death in the streets, alienated and alone. The literature of early modern Madrid illustrates this crisis of representation between the two ‘worlds’ of the city that simultaneously narrate a city of extremes. This thesis will analyse the way in which this dual image of the city, its culture and the experience of living in it is produced with such a high degree of intensity within this period of urban development. It will also consider how the experience of the city is revealed through the literature it produced, demonstrating how representations of the city transcend concepts of power and marginalisation.

This study provides an account of the influences which have contributed to the creation of a Gibraltarian sense of identity, with particular reference to the British imperial presence. Primary sources are of considerable importance, especially when no previous studies are available as in the case of key aspects of the history of education and informal cultural influences. Much use is made of oral evidence. Secondary sources are also used extensively. The prologue sets the scene, establishes the structure and outlines the methodology, while chapter one explores the changing contexts and values which form the background to the study. An account of geographical, environmental and ethnic factors follows, outlining how British interests have played their part. Economic and political factors are then reviewed and they indicate both past and present dependence on the British and a substantial legacy of British ideas and practices. In the case of religion and language both British and non -British influences are shown to have been at work. The Anglican and other non-conformist churches have been vehicles for British influence while Roman Catholicism, with its direct link to Rome, has been the religion of the people. As regards language, the British imposed English as the prestigious language, in direct competition with the language of the area, Spanish. Thus, Gibraltarians have become bilingual but, as is demonstrated, with their own linguistic idiosyncrasies. The study goes on to show that the formal educational system, first religious later largely secular, has been among the most powerful formative factors. The colonial government began to take charge after 1945, prior to a Gibraltaradministered system being put in place. Practice has followed and continues to follow English examples closely and higher education has come to rely entirely on provision in the United Kingdom. Informal influences, through a wide range of social, sporting and cultural activities, have also been of very great importance. Equally, they have reflected British ideas and values. They are given due weight in the last two chapters. In particular, they have furthered the development of Gibraltar's class structure while reinforcing a Gibraltarian sense of identity. The epilogue draws the overall conclusion that the Gibraltarian people and the Gibraltarian community, while separate and unique, are largely the product of the British colonial presence on The Rock. Gibraltar is very much an "offspring of empire". The present strong allegiance of Gibraltarians to Britain makes this clear.