The University of Seville becomes the epicentre of the historical analysis on the Spanish diaspora with the International Colloquium "Assisting the emigrant is protecting the nation" - Carta España

Author: Sonia Martín

Openness and gender focus

The congress was inaugurated on June 1 by the Rector of the University of Seville, Dr. Carmen Vargas Macías, together with the authorities of the Faculty and the Department of Economics and Economic History. The inaugural conference, by Dr. Pilar Cagiao Vila, focused on an essential perspective: the women who emigrate, analyzing their individual and collective experiences in the migratory process. This initial approach underlines the intention of the colloquium to go beyond the figures, and deepen the human and social factor of emigration.

During the central days the colloquium was divided into several scientific sessions that addressed attendance from multiple angles. On the second day, the sessions focused on actors and intermediaries, addressing issues such as the social use of Pan-Hispanism in Mexico during the 1920s and the repatriation of citizens after the 1930s crisis.

A highlight was the analysis of trade union networks and international solidarity workers, presented by Dr. Francisco Bernal García, who examined how Spanish workers organized themselves in America between 1900 and 1939. It also explored the work of Catholic institutions in Central and South America, and how migrations have been represented in museums and temporary exhibitions in Spain.

The power of associationism and public policies

On June 3, the attention was shifted towards the action of the migratory communities themselves through the Galician associationism in Buenos Aires, and emblematic cases of beneficence were recalled such as the Spanish Hospital of Buenos Aires, which evolved from a charitable entity to a private hospital of reference. Also included were studies on Spanish immigration in Rio de Janeiro and film production linked to emigration, from Franco’s cinema to the present day.

Regarding public policies, the repatriation of emigrants from Mexico through consulates and the affective dimension of state assistance reflected in publications such as Carta de España were discussed. Unique cases, such as the "Barco Fallero" and the return of Valencian emigrants, provided a detailed overview of assisted return practices.

Attendees of the colloquium

The colloquium not only constituted a space for debate, but also for the presentation of results. Recent books on Canarian mutualism in Argentina and on the relationship between state and nation in contemporary emigration were published. In addition, the podcast "Uprooting" was presented, an initiative of knowledge transfer between the university and society. The cultural component was reinforced with a Cinema Forum on the documentary Mes amis espagnols, which was attended by its director, the Swiss filmmaker Adrien Bordone.

The event ended with a day at the Museum of Autonomy of Andalusia. The attendees made a guided visit to the exhibition "Graphic memory of emigration and the return of Andalusia", and participated in a final round table that served as a balance on the history and memory of this phenomenon that marked so many Andalusian and Spanish families. Among the researchers present at the University of Seville on the occasion of this international congress, it is worth mentioning Luis Calvo Salgado, from the University of Zurich; María José Fernández Vicente, from the University of Bretagne Occidentale (France); Yvette Santos, from the University Nova de Lisboa (Portugal); Emilio Redondo, from the UCM; Alejandro Fernández, from the National University of Luján (Argentina) and Erica Sarmiento da Silva, from the Universidad do Estado de Río de Janeiro (Argentina).