Mocking the Dictatorship: Symbolic Resistance in Everyday Life During Francoism in the 1960s

Abstract

This article analyses the forms of symbolic resistance in everyday life in Francoist Spain during the 1960s, when the post-war crisis had been relegated to the past and the concerns and interests of Spanish society had begun to diversify. Firstly, it examines the way in which day-to-day resistance functioned under dictatorial regimes. Secondly, it studies the anti-Franco expressions of popular culture, including insults and blasphemies. Finally, it focuses on other manifestations of symbolic resistance hostile to the regime, such as toasts to political dissidents who were victims of reprisals; insults aimed at the Spanish and Falange flags; and subversive cries and slogans. To this end, this article examines a large number of archival sources, mainly documentation from the Ministry of Information and Tourism available in the General Archive of the Administration (AGA).