Guernica/Gernika as a Symbol
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Abstract
Gernika is probably the realm of memory par excellence of the Basque Country. The specialized bibliography has emphasized the important function of realms of memory as symbols that give signification to the life of individuals and collectives, that shape identities, and that facilitate orientation within a present full of uncertainties. The article utilizes these theoretical references to analyze the double symbolic dimension which has been shaped around Gernika since the 19th century: Gernika as a symbol of Basque freedom and, secondly, Gernika as a symbol of peace due largely to Picasso's famous painting, to whose process of creation special attention will be paid. This study on the shape of a symbol and its use in political struggle reveals another characteristic element of the realms of memory: they are symbols that carry highly volatile signification because their utilization and perception within the frame of different and, frequently, conflicting political discourses allows the transmission of quite different and, sometimes, contradictory messages. In opposition to those voices that criticize the «inflation of the historical memory,» or the «obsessive re-memorization of the Civil War,» the article concludes that historical memory is one of the core issues in the work of an historian.
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