La museización del patrimonio memorial transfronterizo: el caso del exilio republicano y sus espacios

Abstract

Cross-border sites in Europe are well established nowadays. Many of them have developed political, economic and cultural dynamics intended to secure a common identity beyond states. In the cultural sector, work has been undertaken on the enhancement of what is considered common heritage, which undoubtedly acts as a strong bond between European Union member states. The places of memory linked to the tragic war events in Europe during the 20th century belong to the main common heritage throughout the continent and have been enhanced primarily by means of their museification, either by creating new museums and interpretation centres or by designing onsite museification strategies. The Catalan Cross-Border owns an important memorial heritage related to the Republican exile after the Spanish Civil War. Using a methodological approach based on the combination of theoretical analysis and onsite work, this article shows several museum experiences launched around the cross-border memorial sites located between Catalonia and southeast France. The examples shown, some well established and some emerging, teach us how a museum-related enhancement can contribute decisively to consolidate a shared memory between two different national realities.

Keywords

• cultural heritage
• musealisation
• memory
• Spanish republican exile
• Museo Memorial de l’Exili