The Necropolitical Theater

The Necropolitical Theater: Race and Immigration on the Contemporary Spanish Stage demonstrates how theatrical production in Spain has reflected national anxieties regarding immigration and race since the early 1990s. This book argues that Spain has developed a necropolitical theatre" wherein the immigrant is transformed into the fictionalized enemy-whose nonwhiteness is incompatible with Spanish national identity and therefore a threat to the (European) Spanish state. The portrayal of immigrant deathsnot only purifies Spain by portraying the maintenance of the status quo but also provides the moment of catharsis for the spectator faced with the notion of a racially diverse nation. Through the analysis of plays that portray Latin American, North African, and sub-Saharan African immigrants, The Necropolitical Theater also makes clear that there is an apparent racial hierarchy, tied in part to Spain's historical legacies of colonization and religious intolerance, which dictates the nature in which deathoperates for each migrant group"--