Helen Graham

Helen Graham's review of 'Franco's Crypt: Spanish and Culture and Memory since 1936' by Jeremy Treglown

The Guardian 21.03.14

"The importance of the mass graves initiative in Spain goes far beyond righting a specific historical wrong, for it offers the constitutional state a means of identifying and naming all its citizens – past and present – as an act of democratic inclusion and a reminder that in democracy no section of a citizenry can be "expendable" in this way, nor should one segment be mobilised against another. As the government withdraws even the minimal public money previously available, the excavations in Spain have now become completely dependent on civic action and volunteer donations. This points to a democratic deficit at the heart of the state, but it also shows there is still a functioning civil society and democratic social fabric, in spite of governmental attempts to erode citizens' rights."

full article here