In the last decade, efforts to confront the legacy of the Spanish Civil War and Franco dictatorship have catapulted Spain into front page news. The exhumations of mass graves and the suspension of judge Baltazar Garzón for attempting to investigate General Franco’s military regime, are just two of the stories that have prompted high-profile figures like human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú, to cite Spain as an example of the need for global mechanisms of justice and restitution.
This symposium brings together a diverse group of scholars in literature, film, anthropology and political science to explore the controversies that surround the politics of memory in Spain today. Highlights include two keynote lectures, three sessions of scholarly talks, a multimedia presentation on the newly created digital archive of Civil War testimonials and the US premiere of a new documentary by Spanish photojournalist Clemente Bernad.
Events are free and open to the public. Please see the program for times and locations.
Organizers of the symposium:
- Sara Brenneis, Amherst College, sbrenneis @ amherst.edu
- Justin Crumbaugh, Mount Holyoke College, jcrumbau @ mtholyoke.edu
- Jacqueline Urla, University of Massachusetts Amherst, jurla @ anthro.umass.edu