MACMILLAN Public Humanities and the Spanish Civil War: Connected and Contested Histories (Palgrave Studies in Cultural Heritage and Conflict)

This interdisciplinary collection of essays examines contemporary public history’s engagement with the Spanish Civil War. The chapters discuss the history and mission of the main institutional archives of the war, contemporary and forensic archaeology of the conflict, burial sites, the affordances of digital culture in the sphere of war memory, the teaching of the conflict in Spanish school curricula, and the place of war memory within human rights initiatives. Adopting a strongly comparative focus, the authors argue for greater public visibility and more nuanced discussion of the Civil War’s legacy, positing a virtual museum as one means to foster dialogue. Review “A fascinating, intelligent and interdisciplinary approach to the Spanish Civil War seen from the perspective of the Public Humanities. The disciplines of History, Memory, Museology, Archeology, Education and Transitional Justice are all brought to bear on the most famous and studied civil war of the 20th century. This volume argues not only for a true understanding of that conflict but for the imperative of bringing this to a broad audience, transcending the academic world.” (Joan Maria Thomàs, Professor of History, University Rovira-Virgili, Spain) “Spain needs to face the conflictive legacies of Francoism. This book is an excellent guide for understanding how the heavy weight of this 40-year old dictatorship continues to affect Spanish democracy.” (Ignacio Fernández de Mata, author of Lloros vueltos puños. El conflicto de los 'desaparecidos' y vencidos de la guerra civil española (2016)) From the Back Cover This interdisciplinary collection of essays examines contemporary public history’s engagement with the Spanish Civil War. The chapters discuss the history and mission of the main institutional archives of the war, contemporary and forensic archeology of the war, burial sites, the affordances of digital culture in the sphere of war memory, the teaching of the war in Spanish school curricula, and the place of war memory within human rights initiatives. Adopting a strongly comparative focus, the authors argue for greater public visibility and more nuanced discussion of the Civil War’s legacy, positing a virtual museum as one means to foster dialogue. About the Author Alison Ribeiro de Menezes is Professor of Hispanic Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. Antonio Cazorla-Sánchez is Professor of History at Trent University, Canada. Adrian Shubert is University Professor of History at York University, Canada.