Female political leaders in Spanish popular culture: Institutionalized feminism in Isabel (TVE1, 2012–14)

Abstract

A successful Spanish TV show, Isabel (three seasons, 2012–14; broadcasted through the national TV channel La 1) recovers an important female political figure in Spanish history, Isabella I of Castile – the Catholic monarch – as a powerful leader who achieved the unification of Spain and the expansion of a true empire during the fifteenth century. This recovery is not naïve, but fully charged with ideological positions that are played out in Spain’s current context. By virtue of being a woman – in fact, one of the most formidable female figures in Spanish history – the show brings to the fore questions regarding the relationship between gender and power both in the past and present history of Spain. Reference to her government allows drawing connections with the current state of affairs, most notoriously the mainstreaming of a Spanish gender agenda. It is our contention that the show’s chronological progression from a life devoted to attaining and consolidating power to the aspiration of having love and family, as well as the casting choices and characterization of the main protagonist, reveal ongoing political debates regarding the Spanish institutionalization of feminism and the prevalence of an understanding of feminism in line with a neo-liberal logic.