The Path Is Made by Walking
Spaces of Light and Shadow in
the History of Transport and Mobility in Spain
Jesús Mirás and Alberte Martínez
University of A Coruña
Some years ago, Javier Vidal took stock of the historiography on transport in
Spain, noting its main achievements and shortcomings.
1
Here we continue by
analyzing the Spanish historiography of this subject published since then, that is,
from 2010 to 2012—a productive if brief period in this subfield. Researchers of the
Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles have been leaders in the field, through
the publication of monographs, the journal Transportes, Servicios y Telecomunica-
ciones (TsT), and conferences. We hope that the present economic reform poli-
cies do not hinder its long and fruitful career.
Railways
As Javier Vidal emphasized, the railways are still by far the main focus of re-
searchers’ attention. The railway has been a privileged field of action for scholars
in diverse fields, such as economic and social history, economics, geography, and
engineering, although their research has been carried out in isolation, without
mutual cooperation.
The relationship between transport and economic growth was once an area of
special interest within broader discussions of Spanish economic backwardness.
Some work on this relationship persists.
2
Studies on industrial location may be
1. Javier Vidal, “Fast Growth and Missed Opportunities: Spain’s Transport and Mobility His-
tory,” in Mobility in History: Themes in Transport (T
2
M Yearbook 2011), ed. Gijs Mom et al.
(Neuchâtel: Alphil, 2010), 175–182.
2. Manuel Jaime Barreiro, “El despegue industrial y la reorientación del sistema de transporte
terrestre en España, 1940–1975,” Revista Galega de Economía 18, no. 1 (2009): 1–19.
Mobility in History Volume 5, 2014: 177–184 © Mobility in History
ISSN: 2296-0503 (Print) ISSN: 2050-9197 (Online) ISBN: 978-1-78238-362-8
doi: 10.3167/mih.2014.050119