Experiencia histórica y construcción social de las memoriasla transición española a la democracia

Abstract

This article examines the process whereby memory is socially constructed, as well as its role in shaping collective identities during the Spanish democratic transition. Accordingly, an attempt is made to pinpoint the factors determining memory which brought about the hegemony of the reforming strategy during the transition, especially the traumatic memory of the Civil War and the erasure from memory of the Franco regime. It is shown how after Franco's death, the historical memory of the surviving generations influenced the decision-making process by promoting the reforming option, a development supported by the volte-face of various key groups towards the idea that a "national reconciliation" was inevitable. In a reciprocal fashion, the author discusses the way in which the perception of this historical experience has helped to reshape collective memory and reinforce hegemonic identities in present-day Spain. Here, memory policies aimed at turning the transition into the founding myth of a new, democratic, pro-European Spain are highlighted, as is the contribution made by the transition - as an historical experience - towards the creation of a global paradigm. Lastly, the article considers the factors that currently threaten this model, as well as the ways in which the recovery of historical memory may operate in this context.