Américo Castro Quesada (May 4, 1885 – July 25, 1972) was a Spanish cultural
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
,
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...
, and
literary critic
A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...
who challenged some of the prevailing notions of Spanish identity, raising controversy with his conclusions that
Spaniards
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...
did not become the distinct group that they are today until after the
Islamic conquest of Hispania of 711, an event that turned them into an Iberian caste co-existing among
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
and
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and that the history of Spain and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
was adversely affected with the success in the 11th to the 15th centuries of the "
Reconquista
The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...
" or Christian reconquest of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...
and with the
Spanish expulsion of the Jews (1492).
Life
Castro was born to Spanish parents on May 4, 1885, in
Cantagalo,
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. In 1890, his parents returned with him to Spain. In 1904 he graduated from the
University of Granada
The University of Granada (, UGR) is a public university located in the city of Granada, Spain, and founded in 1531 by Emperor Charles V. With more than 60,000 students, it is the fourth largest university in Spain. Apart from the city of Granad ...
, going on to study at the
Sorbonne in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
from 1905 to 1907. After returning to Spain he organized the Center for Historical Studies in
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in 1910 and headed its department of
lexicography
Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines:
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.
* Theoretical le ...
. In 1915, he became a professor at the
University of Madrid.
Later, when the
Spanish Republic was declared, Castro became its first ambassador to
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1931. However, when the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
broke out in 1936, he moved to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, where he taught literature at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
from 1937 to 1939, at the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...
from 1939 to 1940 and at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
from 1940 to 1953.
Among Castro's most notable scholarly works are ''The Life of Lope de Vega'' (1919); ''Language, Teaching, and Literature'' (1924); ''The Thought of Cervantes'' (1925); ''Ibero-America, Its Present and Its Past'' (1941); ''The Spaniards: an Introduction to their History'' (1948); ''The Structure of Spanish History'' (1954); and ''Out of the State of Conflict'' (1961).
References
Sources
* Castro, Americo. Edmund L. King, Tr. (1954). ''The Structure of Spanish History.'' Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
* "Castro, Americo." (2005). ''The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia'', 6th ed. Retrieved January 21, 2006, from Info Pleas
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0810798.html* "Castro, Américo." (2006). ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved January 21, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Servic
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9020733*
José Luis Gómez Martínez, "Américo Castro y Sánchez-Albornoz: Dos posiciones ante el origen de los españoles." ''Nueva Revista de Filología Hispánica'' 2l (1972): 30l-320.
* Martin, Marina. (2006). "J. Goytisolo's Vindication of Muslim Spain: Count Julian's Revenge" (description of scholarly paper). The Fourth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities. Retrieved January 19, 2006, from The Humanities Conference 06 websit
http://h06.cgpublisher.com/proposals/141/index_html* Sicroff, Albert A. "Américo Castro and His Critics: Eugenio Asensio." Hispanic Review, Vol. 40, No, 1, 1972, pp. 1–30.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Americo
1885 births
1972 deaths
University of Paris alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
Expatriate academics in the United States
University of Texas at Austin faculty
Brazilian people of Spanish descent
Princeton University faculty
Hispanists
Ambassadors of Spain to Germany
Exiles of the Spanish Civil War in the United States
20th-century Spanish historians
Spanish expatriates in the United States
Spanish expatriates in France