Memory, Subjectivities, and Representation

This collection presents diverse scholarly approaches to oral narratives in the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking worlds. Eleven essays, originally written in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, coalesce around major themes that have long concerned oral historians and social scientists: collective memories of conflictive national pasts, subjectivity in re/framing social identities, and visual and performative re/presentations of identity and public memory.

Rina Benmayor is Professor Emerita at California State University Monterey Bay, USA and former President of the International Oral History Association (2004-06), and the Oral History Association (2010-11). She writes on community oral history, testimonio, and digital storytelling.

María Eugenia Cardenal de la Nuez is Assistant Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Her main area of research is youth transitions, foregrounding the Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method, and interpretive analysis to biography in Sociology.

Pilar Domínguez Prats is Assistant Professor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; and former President of the International Oral History Association (2008-10). She has written oral history essays on the Spanish Civil War and the transition to democracy.

“The topics treated throughout the volume are laudably diverse and very timely, sometimes offering innovative approaches to the material … . The volume could be valuable for researchers working with oral testimony about precarious and illegalized working conditions in Spain and other contexts of migration, and to early career researchers interested in learning about oral history in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries.” (Hendrikje Grunow, Oral History Forum d'histoire orale, Vol. 37, 2017)

Winner of the Oral History Association 2016 Book Award

​“The book, which brings to the English speaking audience works by Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese oral history scholars, introduces work that has not been readily available outside of Spanish-speaking countries. It brings forth theoretical applications and conversations to scholars who wouldn't otherwise have access to them--or indeed, in many cases even realize that they exist. So this is certainly much more than a collection of essays, and it goes far beyond what one would typically expect of an anthology in terms of presenting new work by relatively younger/more junior scholars.” (Dr. Yolanda Chávez Leyva, Chair, Oral History Association 2016 Book Award Committee)

“Oral narratives are some of the most important sources for capturing the complexity of people’s lives. In this pioneering anthology, oral historians, anthropologists, and sociologists launch a new conversation in Latin American and Peninsular Studies.  The beauty and power of a tale told to an empathetic listener is at the heart of the most meaningful scholarship. This is a book that will inspire scholars and general readers alike.” (Ruth Behar, Collegiate Professor of Anthropology, University of Michigan, USA)

“The abundant and diverse oral history research produced in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America seldom finds its way into English-language publications. This book offers a different conceptual perspective on memory, subjectivity and collective identities, exploring how individual experience models and is modeled by recent history.  It adds an invaluable resource to the interdisciplinary study of culture and society in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.” (Gerardo Necoechea, Professor of History, National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico)

“An eye-opener, this important and very readable book speaks to the relevance of oral history and biographical research to understanding the past and present of countries marked by political violence.  The essays speak to collective resistance, the recognition of atrocious pasts, and struggles to forge ordinary lives.  These essays offer a great richness of provision and stimulus for historical and psycho-societal research in general.” (Tom Wengraf, Honorary Fellow, Birkbeck Institute of Social Research, UK)