Abstract

"A frontier is not a wall, but a threshold."The last four decades have witnessed a marked change in the perception of identity in Spain. The country's rapid transformation from dictatorship to democracy with the death of its dictator, General Francisco Franco, in 1975, accelerated the economic modernization begun in the 1960s. Soon after, Spain joined Western countries as a significant entity in world events, and became an appealing destination for immigrants looking for a better chance at economic sustainability. Consequently, the country's population shifted from one of net emigration in the 1960s and '70s, to one with a slight immigrant population of.52 percent in 1981, to harboring an immigrant population of.