It is a well-known saying that Africa begins at the Pyrenees. What is also obvious is that due to historical, cultural, and geographical reasons, Spain constitutes a unique bridge between Africa and Europe. Within Spain itself, as it advances toward the south, one can appreciate how the north of Africa gradually penetrates into Europe. Hence the African root in Spain is a logical consequence of the geographical reality and the evolution of social historic facts, which throughout the centuries have strongly related Spain and Africa, particularly its northwestern regions; so that when Africa is mentioned in Spain the Maghreb often comes to mind. For the same reason Arabic and Islamic studies occupy a privileged position in Spanish Africanism.

Historically speaking, since the end of the nineteenth century, coinciding with the last impulse in exploration and delimitation of areas under European influence in the sub-Saharan continent, an Africanist movement in research and study has always been manifest in Spanish cultural life. Four definite phases can be traced in its development.

1. The first phase, dating from the end of the last century and the beginning of the present one, is characterized by deep social and political instability (the Spanish-American War, the civil wars, etc.). The ever increasing gap between West Europe and Spain, and the consequent feeling of isolation, created a favorable “Africanist atmosphere” in intellectual milieux. In that time, institutions such as the Real Sociedad Geográfica or the Liga Africanista Española, to mention the most important, did away with the first major obstacle: the emphasis on scientific dedication to Hispanic-American and Arab studies. The above mentioned institutions promoted with success a systematic work in widespread African investigation.