Vademecum

FoRewoRd
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the number of scientific publications gives proof of the importance of access. there has also
been a relevant increase of research centers, both academic and non-academic, dedicated to
recent Spanish history. these centers and the archives not only foster research nowadays,
but also disseminate knowledge, in turn, through exhibitions and open free databases.
therefore, despite the polemic and imperfections of the culture of memory, after forty years
of democracy Spain is slowly entering the path of other European countries confronting their
complex history. For that reason, it is worthwhile knowing which entities aim or even support
a reappraisal of the past, as well as those that contribute to that aim one way or the other. this
double comparative element for reappraisal of the regime and the inception of democracy in
Spain provides an attractive link, for instance with other similar processes in Eastern Europe.
thus, this vademecum aims at offering an overview of archives, both public and private,
institutions, libraries, museums and sites of memory, associations and virtual resources
committed to studying the origins, the history and the aftermath of the Civil War, the dictatorship
and the transition in Spain between 1936 and 1981. nevertheless, the vademecum should not
be a basic reference for researchers interested in 20 th century Spanish history and culture,
but should also become a proof of the existence of a historical memory and a culture of
memory which, despite the delay, characterizes for springing from citizens’ movements, with
a variety of forms and regional specificities. Within the context of a comparative study of
European dictatorships and transnational historiography, this vademecum is meant to become
a useful tool. With the conviction that a reappraisal of the past clarifies the conscience of the
present and is an essential feature in the democratization of European societies, this work
also aims at showing that Spain is filling in the gap in the European map of memory culture.
Without excluding its utility or interest for Spanish researchers, the vademecum is mainly
intended for foreign readers interested in Spanish history, both in Spanish and English. As a
general rule, names in the respective regional languages such as Catalan, Galician or Basque
have not been included, regardless of the official nomenclature. For ease of reference, the
vademecum does not comply with the state archival structure, but it is arranged according to
the contents of collections, spanning from general collections to private collections.
Documentation related to the Spanish conflict or the Franco dictatorship is extensive. thus,
the Historical Archives of the various Spanish provinces preserve relevant, although similar
collections (related to the national movement institutions, for instance). For that reason, it was
decided not to include all of them (if one considers that there are 17 autonomous regions,
52 provinces and 2 autonomous cities in Spain), except those with special and unique
collections. the vademecum restricts itself to indexing institutions in Spain, so no foreign
archives with collections related to this period were included. For those interested, a useful
tool is the Censo-Guía de Archivos de España e iberoamérica (http://censoarchivos.mcu.
es/CensoGuia/portada.htm), which permits to browse according to collections, archives or
even authorities. Another possibility is the Portal de Archivos Españoles (http://pares.mcu.
es/), which allows consultation of the Spanish Documentary Historical Heritage collections.
And finally, the Guía de Fuentes Documentales de Archivos (http://www.mcu.es/
guiafuentesdoc/cargarFiltro.do? layout=guiafuentesdoc&cache=init&language=es), offers a