The Public Library of Cáceres (Spain) will host the international conference “Historical Memory from an Iberian Perspective: Dictatorship, Repression, and Democratic Transformation” on September 27 and 28, 2024. The event aims to explore and compare the struggles for establishing democracy in Spain and Portugal after decades of dicactoriship and repression.
Organized by the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) and the Cáceres Cemetery Memorial Association (AMECECA), it will feature participation from the Museu do Aljube – Resistência e Liberdade in Lisbon and the Museu Nacional Resistência e Liberdade – Fortaleza de Peniche (MNRL). Entrance in free, prior registration through this form is recommended.
The first session will explore the processes of transitioning to democracy, expanding the focus from the Iberian Peninsula to encompass southern Europe. Magdalena Fytili (UAB), Guillermo León (UNED), and Francisco B. Ruivo (IHC-UNOVA-FSCH / Museu do Aljube) will discuss the democratic transitions in Greece, Spain, and Portugal, respectively, pointing out their similarities and differences.
On the second session, the focus will shift to places of repression and confinement during the Franco and Salazar dictatorships. Established sites of heritage, such as the Portuguese museums of Aljube and Peniche, will be compared with other ambitious projects such as the Model Prison in Barcelona and memorial initiatives like the Cáceres Prison. Speakers will include Aida Rechena (MNLR Peniche), Luis Farinha (IHC-UNOVA-FSCH / Museu do Aljube), Núria Ricart (EUROM – UB), and Pepe Hinojosa (AMECECA). Additionally, Fernando Hernández Holgado (UCM) and Laura Bolaños (UCM) will present their latest research on women’s prisons during Francoism.
The conference will conclude with a tour on sites associated with the Francoist repression in the city of Cáceres.
Programme
Friday, September 27
17:30 | Welcome and presentation
18:00 | First Panel: Transitions to Democracy in Southern Europe: Perspectives on Greece, Portugal, and Spain
- Magdalena Fytili (UAB)
- Francisco B. Ruivo (IHC-UNOVA-FSCH / Museu do Aljube)
- Guillermo León (UNED)
Presented and moderated by César Rina (UNED)
Saturday, September 28
10:00 | Presentation: The Old Prison of Cáceres: Nine Years Demanding Its Conversion into a Civic Memorial Center
José Hinojosa (AMECECA)
10:30 | Second Panel: Spaces of Repression and Confinement: Consolidated Models of Valorization
- Luis Farinha (IHC-UNOVA-FSCH / Museu do Aljube): The Museu do Aljube – Resistance and Freedom
- Aida Rechena (MNRL): The Museu Nacional Resistência e Liberdade – Fortaleza de Peniche (MNRL)
- Núria Ricart (EUROM – UB): La Model prison of Barcelona
Presented and moderated by Jordi Guixé (EUROM – UB)
12:00 | Coffe break
12:30 | Third Panel: Spaces of Repression and Confinement: History and Memory of the Women’s Prisons of Francoism
- Fernando Hernández Holgado (UCM): The Madrid Prison of Ventas as a (Failed?) Place of Memory
- Laura Bolaños Giner (UCM): Special Prisons for “Fallen Women”: The Great Unknowns of the Female Prisons of the Franco Dictatorship
Presented and moderated by Ricard Conesa (EUROM / UNED)
13:30 | Closing session
17:00 | Cáceres City Tour: The Spaces of Francoist Repression, by AMECECA
Download the Spanish version
Survey
This activity is co-financed by the European Commission and for its evaluation we kindly ask your collaboration in filling out this survey. It will take about 10 minutes, and you will need the information indicated below. Thank you very much!
- Reference of the Project: 101140481
- Kind of activity: Mutual Learning
- Title: Iberian Dictatorships
- Date of the activity: September 28
- Duration of the event in days: 2
- In Person
- Cáceres