Francisco Pradilla – The Surrend(er) of Granada In his new book, British historian Henry Kamen debunks the myths that are bound up in Spain’s identity, arguing that “current politicians have no idea what makes a nation“. British historian Henry Kamen is irritated by the debate among politicians over whether Spain is one nation or a collection of nations – some say as many as eight. He is also disturbed by the tendency of those in power to manipulate the past, from the Reconquest to the defeat of Catalonia in 1714, allowing them to bolster their arguments with self serving versions of history. “Today’s politicians have no idea what a nation or a nation of nations might be,” says Kamen, who was born in Burma in 1936 and now lives in Barcelona. “They have done no research into the term, nation. It’s just a play on words.” Not only has Kamen earned a doctorate from Oxford University and membership of the Royal Historical Society of London, he has also penned around 30 books on Spain and warns that most experts have abandoned the debate on what a nation is because it will always be a moot point. Politicians, he adds, would … Meer lezen over Ricardo de Querol – “There was no Reconquest: No Military campaign lasts eight centuries”