49059 - History of Spanish Culture

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows the issues and historical contexts, social aspects of Spanish culture. He can explain socio-cultural issues related to the culture studied and knows the critical tools most appropriate to contextualize, analyze and comment on texts and documents of various kinds, and to relate them with the most significant transformations related to the areas of language reference.

Course contents

TRAUMA, MEMORY, POST-MEMORY: FROM THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR TO CONTEMPORANEITY

Traumatic events of the Spanish twentieth century will be analysed starting from the cultural and communicative problems of contemporaneity. Attention will be focused on testimonies, memory and post-memory as well as on the manipulations of the regime in order to reflect on the forms of communication that characterise contemporary societies.
Literary and cinematographic re-elaborations of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's repression will be considered. Examples of the contemporary public debate on memory will also be presented.
In particular, the following themes will be addressed:
The Second Republic; the Civil War; Francoist repression; Francoist propaganda; the Democratic Transition; The recovery of historical memory in the new century.
Debates on ethical issues: collective memory, forgetting and recognition, reparation and post-memory, thinking about the future.
Images, sound documents, fragments of historical and philosophical essays, newspapers, documentaries will also be considered.

Readings/Bibliography

- Javier Cercas, Soldados de Salamina, Barcelona, Tusquets, 2001

- Dulce Chacón, La voz dormida, Madrid, Alfaguara, 2002

- Alberto Méndez, Los girasoles ciegos, Barcelona, Anagrama, 2004

- Luigi Contadini, La causa di Soledad Luque Delgado. Il furto dei bambini nella Spagna franchista, Rome, Castelvecchi, 2021.

The texts must be read in the original language and in their complete version. It is also possible to use other available editions as long as they are in the unabridged version and in the original language.
Additional documents will be made available online as teaching materials during the course.

Filmography:
Raza, dir. José Luis Sáenz de Heredia (1941)
¡Ay Carmela!, dir. Carlos Saura (1990)
La lengua de las mariposas, dir. José Luis Cuerda (1999)

For NON-FREQUENTANTS, the present examination programme is valid with the addition of:
-online material dedicated to non-attenders and which will be made available by the end of the course;
- Carlos Fonseca, Trece rosas rojas, Madrid, Temas de hoy, 2004
- José Sanchis Sinisterra, ¡Ay Carmela!, 1987

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview in Spanish. Will verify the critical and methodological skills gained by the student, who will be invited to confront the texts studied during the course. Will be particularly assessed the student's ability to move himself within the sources and bibliographical material in order to identify in them the useful information to illustrate the similarities and cultural areas of the discipline. The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the issues, joined with their critical use, the ownership of expression and specific language will be assessed with a mark of excellence. A mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the topics, synthesis and analysis partially articulated and/or correct but not always appropriate language, will be judged as good; gaps in the preparation and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of minimal knowledge of readings - will lead to votes as sufficiency. Important gaps, inappropriate language, lack of knowledge within the reference materials offered during the course will be evaluated negatively.

Teaching tools

Will be projected images and video.

Will be made available on-line teaching materials, the study of which is obligatory, some of the main themes of the program.

Office hours

See the website of Luigi Contadini