Guerras simbólicas de base nacional y diplomacia pública en internetMarca Extremadura, Marca Galicia y Marca Cataluña desde un punto de vista comparado

Abstract

This research deals with nationally based images and identities online as they are built and managed by governmental institutions. First, we provide a survey of some disciplines studying the complex issue of the social construction of reality, from the histoire des mentalités or the History of Representations to the histoire de l�imaginaire. It has to be said that our own perspective is that of the Social and Cultural History. Then, we try to face the study of images in a wide sense, on the grounds of literary Image Studies (Imagologie), Visual Studies and other disciplines. After having established our theoretical and methodological grounds, the research will try to face the contruction and spreading of national identities, the real core of our work. In order to do that, we shall take account both of traditional and new tools for constructing collective identities, as today Nation Branding or Public Diplomacy. In fact, globalization entails a new world setting where nations become a mere product to be sold to an international audience. The object of our interest is precisely this branding process put into action by national governments on the WWW. In order to describe this process, we have decided to study three different empirical cases in the Iberian field: Catalan, Galician and Extremenian. A comparative analysis of this three governmental digital images can help us to understand better one of the new mechanisms of national and symbolic identity building.