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SPAN 640: Memory Cultures of the Spanish Civil War

Tu 3:30-6:00, Dey Hall 302, Professor Adam Cohn (acohn1@unc.edu)

How have the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and Francisco Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975) been represented in Iberian cultures and beyond? One of the major events of 20th-century Europe, the Spanish Civil War saw the involvement of Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy, and upwards of 50,000 international volunteers who travelled to Spain to combat fascism. It has been estimated that between 25-30% of fighters in the International Brigades were Jewish. While most defeated Republicans went to the Americas in exile or stayed in Spain, others continued their fight against fascism in World War II. Of this latter group, thousands ended up in Nazi concentration camps.

Taking these shared histories into account, this seminar explores the intersecting memory cultures that have developed in Iberian and Jewish contexts in response to the Spanish Civil War. Our main focus will be narrative fiction, but we will also study poetry, film, photography, activism, monuments, and contemporary politics. We will balance canonical Civil War novels with works that represent different approaches to the war’s memory and representation. Throughout the semester we will analyze how theoretical, cultural, and legal responses to the Holocaust have influenced the memory of the Spanish Civil War in democratic Spain.

Advanced undergraduates and graduate students outside of Hispanic Studies are welcome. All materials will be available in English translation for students who do not read Spanish. Class conducted in English.