The Statebuilders: Spanish Engineers and Modern Governmentality, 1835–1914

Engineers represent one of the most prominent examples of  professional elites in Spain. Their rise is closely linked to the construction of the state. In our paper, we first outline the great traits that have characterized the engineering in Spain since the 18^th century. Thus, the engineers are dealt with both as experts employed by the state in its attempt to control the territory and its resources (roads, mines and forests), as well as technicians working in the private sector of the economy (industry, agriculture). The difficulties faced by the latter underline the close link between the development of engineering and the state-building in Spain. The following section provides a synthetic vision of the paradoxes in the slow process of construction of the Spanish state, paying particular attention to the ambiguous role of the engineers and to the limits of their action. Finally, we discuss the concept of “ingenierismo” [engineerism], which we understand both 1) as an inclination to judge public (state) intervention in terms of carrying out public works; and 2) as the aspirations of the engineers to socio-professional and political leadership and the public acknowledgement of such leadership. We will argue that “engineerism” can be seen as a cultural construct, in itself a legacy of the 19^th century social representation of the existence of a close relationship among public policies, technical change and engineers as a profession.