20 Oct
14:00

PhD conferral mw. Marije J. Hristova-Dijkstra, MA

Supervisors: Prof.dr. G. Verbeeck; Prof.dr. K.K. Patel

“Reimagining Spain; Transnational Entanglements and Remembrance of the Spanish Civil War since 1989”

Keywords: Spanish Civil War, cultural-historic research, remembrance, identity

The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) remains a point of contention in contemporary Spanish politics. This cultural-historic study examined the wartime memories, with a focus on victim reparation. A link is often sought with transnational memories that appeal to the global imagination, such as those associated with the Holocaust. This study reveals that these transnational memories are not an example of globalisation as such, but contribute to redefining the national identity as 'inclusive' rather than 'exclusive'. Spain is once again reimagined from the perspective of 'marginalised' groups, such as Sephardic Jews, Basques, political exiles and the victims buried in mass graves.