Who is Afraid of Francisco Franco?
Original title: ¿Quién teme a Francisco Franco?
Should statues be taken down? Should we remove all traces of past regimes that have been surpassed?
We live in iconoclastic times. We want to settle a score with the past by toppling statues of outdated regimes. But is this the best way to foster an authentic democratic culture? Should historical memory trump the preservation of heritage? Can eliminating symbols of the past become a form of denial, falsification, or omission of realities that existed. Examining Francoist relics, the author reflects on how we should relate to the past through its most uncomfortable monuments.
Should statues be taken down? Should we remove all traces of past regimes that have been surpassed?
We live in iconoclastic times. We want to settle a score with the past by toppling statues of outdated regimes. But is this the best way to foster an authentic democratic culture? Should historical memory trump the preservation of heritage? Can eliminating symbols of the past become a form of denial, falsification, or omission of realities that existed. Examining Francoist relics, the author reflects on how we should relate to the past through its most uncomfortable monuments.