But it has once again gained strength in recent years with the passing of the Law of Historical Memory in 2007 that sought both symbolic and material reparations for the victims of the Francoist repression. The pursuit of justice for victims and survivors of the Civil War has been an issue that has divided politicians, jurists, intellectuals, and members of the civil society ever since Franco’s dictatorship ended in 1975. The Left, however, argues that it is only by transferring the dictator’s remains to a different location that people who were persecuted or perished during Spain’s civil war (1936-39) can receive justice. The right-leaning parties claim that this is hardly an urgent issue and there is nothing to be gained by opening past wounds. In 2018, when the Spanish government, then run by a coalition of left-wing parties, ordered the exhumation of the remains of General Franco from a state-funded monument, it was not only digging up his bones, but also the country’s still unsettled past. Reviewed by Gaurav Pai (University of Washington)Ĭommissioned by Gary Roth (Rutgers University - Newark) Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2018. Memory Battles of the Spanish Civil War: History, Fiction, Photography.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |