by Jennifer Swender
Having previously taken courses in Spanish Language, Short Stories and Film with ILI’s super-increíble Eva Camacho, I would have signed up for a course this summer, no matter the theme. However, I was especially drawn to “Spanish Civil War: Language, Memory, and Resistance” due to my blind spot for this historical era.
In last fall’s Film class, we watched El maestro que prometió el mar (The Teacher Who Promised the Sea), a moving story that links past and present, and shows how the ripple effects of this conflict linger for generations. I watched thinking – Why don’t I know even the basics of this history? As we discussed in class, the Spanish Civil War often exists in the shadow of WWII, especially from a US perspective, a footnote or mere prelude to the larger conflict.
This course opened my eyes to the complexity, nuance and brutality of the war, and the ways that language was (and is) used to shape its meaning and legacy. During one class activity, my partner and I seemed to simultaneously come to the same shift in perspective—neither of us had before thought of Spain as a country traumatized. But the level of social distrust, the threat of betrayal (including by friends and family), and the ongoing cognitive dissonance of one’s public vs. private existence was astounding.
During class discussions we often couldn’t help but draw parallels between then and now, there and here—the discrediting and destabilization of academic, cultural and scientific institutions; the focus on an internal “enemy” to justify increased security; the use of fear to motivate, to deter and to silence.
And yet “Spanish Civil War: Language, Memory, and Resistance” was above all, inspirational. Whether watching video testimonies of Spanish citizens, reading the poems of Lorca, or listening to the thoughts of the fascinating folks in the ILI community, this course was a lesson in resilience, courage and language’s power not just to harm, but more importantly to heal.
To anyone who may be considering taking a thematic world language course at ILI, I would say simply: ¡Hazlo! ILI’s combination of academic rigor, curated resources, lovely classmates and the pure joy of learning is truly a rare find.