Nacionalizar la naturaleza. Ciencias naturales y discursos nacionalistas en la Espa a del regeneracionismo

The intertwining of science and literature is a prominent feature of thosenationalistic discourses, spanning the turn-of-the-century decades fromapproximately 1870 to 1930, that have become regarded as typical of Spanishregeneracionismo. Naturalists, such as geologist and mining engineer, LucasMallada, or geographer and geologist, Eduardo Hernández-Pacheco, tappedinto the intellectual authority of science in order to provide new narratives ofSpanish nature as the ultimate source of both national identity and nationalprosperity. First, if Spaniards were to have a realistic account of theopportunities and obstacles involved in their millenary relationship with a richand diverse, but nonetheless rugged and harsh, natural environment, a fullscientific survey of the Spanish territory was in order. Second, inspirations for arenewed and strengthened national identity could be derived from a reexaminationof Spanish nature. In the midst of a particularly acute fin-de-sièclecrisis, many intellectuals turned towards the natural landscape as a source ofhealing and regeneration, hoping to rejuvenate a deep, ages-old, organicrelationship between the Spanish people and Iberian nature.