Memory and Cultural History of the Spanish Civil War: Realms of Oblivion

by Aurora G. Morcillo (editor)

The authors in this anthology explore how we are to rethink political and social narratives of the Spanish Civil War at the turn of the twenty-first century. The questions addressed here are based on a solid intellectual conviction of all the contributors to resist facile arguments both on the Right and the Left, concerning the historical and collective memory of the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship in the milieu of post-transition to democracy. Central to a true democratic historical narrative is the commitment to listening to the other experiences and the willingness to rethink our present(s) in light of our past(s). The volume is divided in six I. Institutional Realms of Memory; II. Past Gender Archetypes in Retrospect; III. The Many Languages of Domesticity; IV. Realms of Hunger, Repression, and Violence; V. Strangers to Autobiographical Testimonies; and VI. The Orient Myths of Hispano-Arabic Identity.Contributors are Antonio Cazorla-Sánchez, Álex Bueno, Fernando Martínez López, Miguel Gómez Oliver, Mary Ann Dellinger, Geoffrey Jensen, Paula A. de la Cruz-Fernández, María del Mar Logroño Narbona, M. Cinta Ramblado Minero, Deirdre Finnerty, Victoria L. Enders, Pilar Domínguez Prats, Sofia Rodríguez López, Óscar Rodríguez Barreira, Nerea Aresti, and Miren Llona.

592 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Jade Vandel]

Very dense historical study of memory and culture, how the two intertwine, and a very enlightening conversation in the conclusion about the historiography of the Spanish Civil War that can be applied to other historical tragedies as well. The book is split up and organized well, but the subject matter and writing is not just dense but often emotionally trying to read, especially in regards to any conversation had about women during the war. This is one of many of Morcillo's specialty as I understand it, and as a woman myself I really appreciated all of it, but some of it was difficult to read. I would highly recommend this book to other academics, but would maybe caution those who are not as well read in academia against just due to the sheer volume of information presented. Again, I loved the conclusion: "we need to put the historian and the philosopher in conversation with the poet and the artist," very well said!