Description
This research explores the concept of "Postmemory" and delves into public memory in the post-totalitarian generations of Spain and Romania. Specifically, it compares the oral histories inherited from those who experienced totalitarian regimes to the official narratives found in history textbooks. Postmemory, as defined by Marianne Hirsch (2012), describes how the second generation perceives traumatic experiences preceding their births, deeply ingrained in their own memories.
The study focuses on the examination of main narratives within Spanish and Romanian history textbooks concerning their respective totalitarian pasts, emphasizing both similarities and differences. The combination of these official and vernacular memories is termed "Public memory," as proposed by Bodnar. Official memory encompasses government-endorsed markers and spaces of memory, while vernacular memory includes diverse collective memory practices (Marschall, S. 2013:79).
The research not only analyzes the content of history textbooks but also investigates the authors and their methodologies. The study aims to answer questions regarding the guidelines, restrictions, processes, and sources employed in the creation of these textbooks. The sample for the study comprises at least five authors of history textbooks from each country and 20 individuals born between 1975 to 2005 in Spain and between 1989 to 2005 in Romania, providing a broad source of postmemory.
While previous research has explored public memory in post-fascist and post-communist societies, the unique features of Francoism and Ceausescu's regime make Spain and Romania intriguing case studies. The research seeks to answer several questions, including the differences and similarities in the narratives presented in history textbooks, the comparison between these narratives and the vernacular memory of study subjects, and the perception of daily life during totalitarian times. It also explores potential taboos that history textbooks might avoid, common experiences in the post-totalitarian generations, and discrepancies in how textbooks narrate the enemies of the regime. Additionally, the study delves into the challenges faced by authors during the textbook writing process, examining their guidelines and their alignment with the final outcomes. The research investigates whether post-totalitarian generations perpetuate the same narrative found in history textbooks and how both generations imagine each other's past.
The hypotheses guiding this research propose that Spanish and Romanian people share common traumas from their totalitarian past, that Romanians may have a sensitive topic related to Ceausescu's execution, Spanish textbooks may simplify sensitive topics like the Civil War and Francoism, Spanish authors may avoid in-depth discussion of the Spanish Civil War, Romanian textbooks might focus on Ceausescu regime victims, Spanish textbooks may mention Francoism victims less frequently, and that both generations imagine their own past as more oppressive than the other's
