A Shared Amnesia: Understanding the Current Immigration in Spain and the USA – Feb 26, 2018, 5:00 pm – RCC

            Spaniards have emigrated for centuries, and emigration has become an integral part of Spanish identity. Those who left Spain became immigrants in their host countries, but from Spain’s point of view they have always been emigrants, always connected to their motherland. In the last 30 years, Spain has changed from being a country of net emigration to a country that receives immigrants, and this immigration has been presented in the government and media rhetoric as something new and alien. An alternate narrative has emerged in turn in Spanish literature, film, and photographic exhibits, where Spanish emigration appears juxtaposed to the current immigration in Spain to create a deeper understanding of the complex identity of the migrant. This talk will examine examples of how this new narrative is challenging the amnesia of an immigrant past and questioning the dominant difference between Spaniards and immigrants. The talk will end with a reflection on how this current debate in Spain can cast new light on long-standing debates in the United States, where immigration has become a major concern in political and economic discourses.