Religious Minorities in Democratic Spain: Rekindle with the Past and Part of the Future

Democratic Spain has been built on the idea of civic nation, which means community of citizens. This idea constitutes a rupture with the notion of national catholicism omnipresent in its history. This founding political project emphasizes above all the notion of equality. The legislative and symbolic evolutions, and the ensuing public policies directed to the religious minorities had been faced with a situation rooted in the history of the country. On the one hand, the Spanish national community has been founded, in the 15th century on the exclusion of minorities. Democratic public authorities have made an official rereading of the past in order to reintegrate them in the nation. On the other hand, the public policies of the past twenty years seem to lead to an everyday acceptance of minorities multiplying since the democratization. These policies put an emphasis on citizenship and equality of rights, even if numerous obstacles remain.