Memorias y ficciones en la recreación de un pasado violento. El caso de ETA

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to address the role that fictions play in the reconstruction of the collective memory of a traumatic past, in particular, that of ETA violence. We will pay attention to both the process through which works of fiction that try to portray that recent past become relevant and to the kind of mixed reactions about their meaning and value to tell what happened faithfully. The narrative effort seems to face difficulties to build a collective memory that reaches agreement on its accuracy and appropriateness. The same is true of the institutional review of the past, which is the object of tensions that have been conceptualized as the "battle for the story". The idea is to propose a reflection that delves into the potential of narratives to make sense of the past, identifying the tensions and keys that result in the re-mythologizing of violence and that are expressed as suspicion against the crudeness and authenticity of certain stories. In order to do so, we will look at the link between memory, history, and fiction and will question the assumption that a narrative can and should be elaborated free of moral positions and value judgments. This is especially decisive when the context to which it refers is that of violence legitimized by a part of society. Finally, we will emphasize the power of fiction to define the world, highlighting its capacity to intervene and add meaning to our understanding of reality.