The frog hibernation
10 years of Memory Laws and Policies in Spain and Catalonia (2007-2017)
EUROM, University of Barcelona, November 14-20, 2017
Hibernation is more predictive than consequent. Frogs and other amphibians and reptiles use it as a form
of protection during the winter to avoid freezing to death. External factors are decisive, but, above all,
the attempt to self-protection is essential to prevent death. The risk is very high, but it is also a way to
override the vital signs in order to survive, and in some cases, to succeed.
Ten years ago, in October 2007, Spain and Catalonia approved the laws known as
remembrance laws. The Spanish Parliament laid down a "Law for recognizing and extending
rights, and establishing measures in favor of those who suffered persecution or violence during
the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship", while the Parliament of Catalonia gave the green
light to the regional Democratic Memory Law.
The legislation over the recent past reopened concerns and hopes, and the relationship
between law and memory has been complex and discussed in both cases. The initial impetus
with the approval depleted after a short time, giving way to a period of dormancy or
hibernation. Since then, a reasonable period of time has passed, sufficient to make an initial
assessment with a historical perspective of the role played by that laws in the development of
policies throughout the State.
Which are their real effects? What consequences and reactions did they provoke? What other
initiatives have been developed since then? In addition to that, the Catalan and Spanish cases
are outlined in a European context, where these issues are no alien; considering, it is a
common problem for many member states, as well as for the European institutions themselves
when developing public policies of memory and remembrance.
These topics will be developed during the international congress "The frog hibernation: 10
years of laws and policies of memory in Spain and Catalonia (2007-2017)", organized by the
European Observatory of Memories of the University of Barcelona. The program will be
developed around the uses, abuses, processes, successes, omissions and gaps of this period,
and will have two parallel sessions of scientific communications, jointly organized with the
association Memorias en Red.
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