Transnational Network Formation in the Medium of Cultural Magazines The Case of Spanish-language '‘revistas culturales’' of the Modernismo and Avant-garde Periods (1891–1936)

Abstract

In this research article, we introduce a methodology we developed in order to collect and analyze data from 42 Spanish-language magazines which were published between 1891 and 1936. The example of the imagery found in these magazines will be used here to illustrate some of the research findings which came out of the project “Cultural Magazines from Modernismo to Avantgarde: Processes of Modernization and Transnational Networks”. In this project, the focus was both on network formation and on the transnational exchanges established by the cultural magazines examined. Analysis is performed by establishing bimodal networks that enable the examination of transatlantic transfers between Europe and Hispanic America. Beyond the question of transfers, major insights from the project are presented, such as the observation that in the cultural field, taste dominates and limits the number of possible connections between contributors and magazines. The limitations of the chosen methodology lie in the explanatory power of centrality measures applied to bimodal networks, which provide questionable results with respect to relevant research questions. As a remedy, we propose the use of a ‘cultural transfer rate’ which can be calculated from the data established within the project. While this research project focused on the cultural exchanges facilitated by Spanish-language magazines, further research avenues that can be explored in the future, on the basis of the data provided by the project, are also discussed. The first of these avenues consists of transforming the data at hand into one-mode social networks, which would enable the analysis of the social dimensions relevant to the material, especially with regard to groups of artists and the synergies created within them. The second avenue describes how the aggregation of further data would enable researchers to trace the trajectories of individuals within the network and determine their accumulation of symbolic capital.

Keywords

• cultural magazines
• bimodal networks
• social network analysis
• network formation
• transatlantic exchange