Another of EUROM’ s strategic lines concerns the deepening of colonial and slaveholding memories and their dialogue with public space and European citizenry. This is the focus of the Europe Insight section. Andrew Davis and Nick White present the Waterfront Transformation Project, promoted by National Museums Liverpool since 2021, which aims to renovate the historic docks and integrate colonial legacies into the urban narrative, ensuring community participation and reorienting spaces within the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. Meanwhile, Krystel Gualde introduces the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery in Nantes, unveiled in 2012, which addresses the slave-trading past of France’ s main port in the Atlantic traffic as an ethical call to remember the contemporary existence of new forms of slavery.
Our interview features Dr Amos Goldberg, an Israeli historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a specialist in cultural studies of the Holocaust and other genocides. The conversation explores the relevance of Holocaust memory in the European context, analyses strategies to combat antisemitism and offers essential analytical insights into understanding the scope of the crimes perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
The Overview section includes an article by Dietmar J. Wetzel on the current challenges facing Europe’ s collective memory, highlighting the need to understand it as a common good integrated into critical education, public discourse and institutional practice. We also have a contribution by Guillermo León on Castuera Concentration Camp in Extremadura( Spain). A paradigmatic site of memory, representative of thousands of stories silenced for decades, it points to the heart of the Francoist repressive system and its material and immaterial remnants across the country.
In a context of exceptional relevance, we highlight the contributions linked to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of the dictator Francisco Franco. Carmina Gustrán, Commissioner for the Commemoration of“ Spain in Freedom: 50 years”, outlines the strategic foundations of the commemorative events, emphasising the role of youth and popular mobilisation in generating a more just future. Equally, Kostis Kornetis advocates a model of commemoration that eschews heroism and draws on examples from Portugal and Greece to foster a critical perspective in Spain which includes social movements, micro-histories and cultural practices.
In the Review section, we include noteworthy contributions such as Jo Labanyi’ s analysis of the book Cultural Legacies of Slavery in Modern Spain( 2025), edited by Akiko Tsuchiya and Aurélie Vialette; David González’ s review of the film Marco( 2024); and Oriol López’ s thoughts on the exhibition El Negre de la Riba.
Finally, in the Sightseeing section, Emanuele Morezzi, Chiara Mariotti, Leila Signorelli and Alessia Zampini present Dissonant Heritage and War. Conservation and Communication of a Difficult Legacy( Co. Co. War), a project envisioned as a critical reflection and systematic framework exploring theoretical questions and exemplary cases related to interventions in Dissonant Heritage.
We hope that this edition of Observing Memories sparks readers’ interest and helps expand the debate on memories in the plural, fostering critical reflection and civic engagement. Each contribution invites us to question established narratives, explore new perspectives and embrace memory as a living tool for justice, inclusion and democracy. Our aim is for these pages not only to inform but also to inspire researchers, professionals and civil society to continue building spaces for dialogue and action in the face of contemporary challenges. Because remembering is not a passive gesture: it is an active practice that defines our shared future.
Jordi Guixé Director of the European Observatory on Memories
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