Cultures, practices and politics of cannabis consumption in 20th century colonial and dictatorial Spain (1920-1980)

  • Joshua Alexander Hill

Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis (PhD)

Abstract

This thesis explores the use of cannabis, and the politics that surrounded it, in Spain and Spanish Morocco between 1920 and 1980. It takes a cultural-constructivist approach to drugs, viewing them as culturally contingent, and therefore historical artefacts that can act as heuristic devices. Using cannabis in this way, it looks at how the same drug took on multiple guises in the 60 years that this thesis spans. It looks at how the effects of and narratives that surrounded cannabis changed over time, in ways that often reflected wider social changes, although in ways that were often unpredictable and surprising. In doing so it hopes to bring to light elements of Spanish culture and society that the historian might not otherwise encounter. It also hopes to similarly bring to light the ways in which Spaniards consumed cannabis, and the reasons for doing so. This provides a small glimpse into their inner worlds – drugs by nature elicit highly emotive responses. Above all, it hopes to historicise cannabis, by showing how, in different times and places, the same drug could take on multiple different guises.
Date of Award4 Dec 2024
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of St Andrews
SupervisorKate Ferris (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • History
  • Spain
  • Drugs
  • Cannabis

Access Status

  • Full text open

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