Josep Lobera

The Spanish 15-M Movement: a consensual dissent?

Abstract Since May 2011, the Spanish 15-M Movement (commonly referred as los indignados [the outraged]) has become a major player in the domestic political scenario. Public opinion data reveal that there is a cross-sectional support for the 15-M among the general population in Spain, affecting people of different ages, genders, employment situations and levels of urbanization. The data present a “movement of dissent” and confirm the crisis of the consensual culture of the Spanish political transition from Francos regime to democracy. The 15-M challenges previous consensus and expresses the need to reform or to overcome the close-knitted institutional map designed by the elites driving the transition. The outraged movement advances and leads a new political culture based on widespread social dissent. Our data suggest an imbalance between the cultural and the political impact of the 15-M, and how this tension will be a central element of cultural and civic life in the next decades in Spain.

Las actitudes hacia la diversidad cultural en escuelas superdiversas en España

In this study we analyze data coming from a poll of parents of students from 25 highly diverse territories that reflect attitudes towards the presence of foreign students and their attitudes toward the use of hijabs in schools. The results indicate a predominance of ambivalent attitudes towards both questions, without registering significant differences between 2012 and 2010. A multi-variable analysis reveals distinct indicative factors for each of the attitudes expressed in the responses to both questions, which shows the necessity of considering the multi-dimensional natures of attitudes toward cultural diversity. Notable among the distinct factors is religiousness, which seems to an element to consider along with traditional considerations such as level of education and socioeconomic factors.