Now and o e e : C ea ing knowledge o hono people
Emilio Lucio-Villegas. PhD.
Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain. Facul y o Educa ion
C/Pi o ecnia, s/n. O ice 5120, 41013 Se ille, Spain 0034955420567
Emilio Lucio-Villegas is P o esso on Adul Educa ion a he Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain.
Since 1991, he holds a PhD in Pedagogy wi h a Thesis on Pa icipa o y Resea ch in Adul
Educa ion. His wo ks ocused on Adul Educa ion and Pa icipa o y Resea ch. He is au ho
o coau ho o a icles, chap e s and books in Spanish, English, and Po uguese. F om 2008
o 2013 he was Head o The Paulo F ei e Chai a he Uni e si y o Se ille. He holds he
Phyllis M. Cunningham Awa d o Social Jus ice p esen ed in 2010. Emilio Lucio-Villegas
has pa icipa ed in esea ch a na ional and in e na ional le el. He was membe o he S ee ing
Commi ee o he Eu opean Socie y o Resea ch on he Educa ion o he Adul s (ESREA)
om 2008 o 2019, and con eno o he Ne wo k: ‘Be ween Global and Local: Adul
Lea ning and Communi ies since 2006.
Email: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
A e he es o a ion o democ acy in Spain, he ic ims o he dic a o ship we e ne e
ecognized, and he mu de e s we e ne e judged. Silence was he no m in e e ence o he
Ci il Wa , he dic a o ship and he people who ough o democ acy. Only a ew ci il
socie y o ganiza ions and o he simila g oups ied o eclaim he memo y o he ic ims
by looking o hei emains in mass g a es and di ches and elling a di e en his o y han
he o icial one p esen ed in he ex books.
One o hese g oups a e adul lea ne s in he adul educa ion school (dele ed o
anonymi y). They y, om he s o ies o common people, o c ea e new knowledge and o
es o e he memo y o and hono he ic ims. They a e doing his by eco e ing o al
es imonies and biog aphies and publishing hem as a collec i e his o y.
In he a icle, I will p esen he esea ch conduc ed by hese adul lea ne s. I can be
conside ed pa icipa o y esea ch because i enables indi iduals o es o e hei memo ies,
o c ea e new knowledge con on ing he o icial na a i e and, h ough publica ions and
public speeches, o dissemina e his knowledge and o ganize communi y p ac ices hono ing
he ic ims.
Keywo ds: Dic a o ship, knowledge, li e his o y, pa icipa o y esea ch, ep ession.
Now and o e e : C ea ing knowledge o hono people
Now and o e e
You a e a pa o me
And he memo y cu s like a kni e
(Ca ole King. Now and o e e )
A pe sonal s a emen
My g and a he was one o he non-commissioned o ice s ha pa icipa ed in he ebellion
agains he legi ima e go e nmen o he II Republic. He was inju ed in Mad id, in he
ba le o he Uni e si y Town, igh ing agains he In e na ional B igades. He ansmi ed
me he admi a ion o hese people coming o Spain o de end democ acy. “They we e
w ong – he old me one day – bu hey a e b a es and hei come o Spain o igh ing o
hei (w ong) ideals”.
As a lo o people o my age, I ne e alked wi h my a he abou he Ci il Wa . I know ha
he was bo n in he wo king-class dis ic o my ci y in he 1920s. I know ha he li ed in
Málaga a he beginning o he Ci il Wa , and I suspec ha he was in he oad om Málaga
o Alme ia in he ime o La Desbandá: he bombing by he ascis na y and he Ge man
and I alian a ia ion agains ci ilians while hey we e leeing bo h om he wa and he
ascis oops.
In oduc ion
On he 18 h o July, 1936, an impo an pa o he a my, led by a g oup o ascis gene als,
and a conglome a e o ascis ci ilians, coo dina ed a ebellion agains Spain’s legi ima e
go e nmen . The ebellion s a ed simul aneously in di e en ci ies in Spain and in he
A ican colonies. I ailed in i s main goal – o ake Mad id
1
– and he Spanish Ci il Wa
con inued un il 1939. A e he end o he Ci il Wa , he coun y ell in o he da kness o a
ascis dic a o ship. Only in 1977 did he i s democ a ic elec ions ake place.
F om he e y beginning, he ascis s o ganized a ep essi e egime ha inca ce a ed
and mu de ed people suspec ed o being democ a ic. In he ci y o Se ille, he gene al Queipo
de Llano, who is s ill bu ied in a amous chu ch he e, called on his oops – in in amous
adio speeches – o ape women and kill men. This o ganized e o con inued du ing he
en i e Ci il Wa and la e h oughou he dic a o ship (Bee o , 2005).
The numbe o people mu de ed by he ascis s du ing he Ci il Wa – including he
poe Fede ico Ga cía Lo ca, he Andalusian poli ician Blas In an e, and he ana chis eache
José Sánchez Rosa – was app oxima ely 200,000 (Bee o , 2005). O he sou ces (c .
www.memo iahis o ica.o g) ha e indica ed 140,000, mos o hem we e ne e ound.
A e he es o a ion o democ acy
2
, he ic ims o he ep ession we e ne e
ecognized. Nobody asked hem o o gi eness. Fo a long ime, people decided o no alk
abou he ep ession, and he c iminals we e ne e judged o hei c imes. Only in 2007 was
a ‘Law o His o ical Memo y’ enac ed. The law was an a emp o ecognize and suppo he
wo k ha – a leas since 2002 – has been done by Ci il Socie y O ganiza ions (CSOs)
suppo ed by some ci y halls and egional go e nmen s
3
. When he conse a i e pa y uled
1
The ba le o Mad id ook place in No embe 1936. The In e na ional B igades played an impo an ole in
s opping he ascis a my a he ga es o he ci y.
2
Two di e en da es could be conside ed he e. One is Decembe 1978, when he Spanish Cons i u ion was
enac ed. O he sou ces poin ou June 1977 as when he i s democ a ic elec ions ook place.
3
Spain is bo h a poli ically and adminis a i ely decen alized s a e. The e a e 17 egional go e nmen s wi h
hei own budge .
he coun y, he law did no ecei e unding om he na ional s a e budge . In July 2021, a
new law was app o ed by he cabine . A new impe us o ecognizing and hono ing he
ic ims who los hei li es igh ing o de end democ acy can be expec ed.
CSOs ha e been undamen al in he p ocess o hono ing and ecupe a ing he memo y
o he ic ims h ough di e se ini ia i es sp eaded ac oss he coun y ( o example,
www. odoslosnomb es.o g). Howe e , in addi ion o CSOs, o he g oups and o ganiza ions
a e ying o escue and hono he memo y o hese people as well. This is an impo an issue
because he accoun s o he ic ims ha e been – like hemsel es – omi ed om he his o y
books (Rangel, 2021). This means ha o eco e he memo ies o hese pe sons, new and
al e na i e knowledge mus be c ea ed in a way ha enables indi iduals o ell hei his o y
and be lis ened o . As he no elis Pé ez Galdós once w o e, “I am o ended by hose displays
o disbelie om hose who lis en. [People we e] eyewi nesses” ([1874] 2016, p. 65).
Hence o h, I ocus on one o hese ini ia i es: a g oup o people linked o he adul
educa ion school (dele ed o anonymi y) in he ci y o (dele ed o anonymi y). Thei wo k
has been, and s ill is, an a emp o c ea e a di e en knowledge ha con on s he ‘o icial’
na a i e o he eco ded his o y. One o he mos impo an ea u es o his expe ience is he
de e mina ion o bo h c ea e and dissemina e new knowledge, one o he ounda ions o
pa icipa o y esea ch.
Theo e ical amewo k
F ei e (1970) a i med ha he “Cul u e o Silence” does no mean ha people do no ha e a
cul u e bu a he ha people ha e no way o exp essing i . The mos impo an hing he e is
ha ce ain people ha e di icul ies exp essing hei cul u e no because o hei own

di icul ies bu because powe dynamics in socie y – he opp esso in F ei e’s e minology –
impede his exp ession. People li ing in he cul u e o silence do no need somebody o ell
hei s o y on hei behal . Ra he , hey need o be lis ened o wi h espec . I will e isi his
when discussing Ma ia’s es imony in he con ex o he esea ch unde aken by he adul
lea ne s.
F ei e (1970) also a i med ha he way o li e o he opp esso has colonized he
mind o he opp essed. In he case o he his o y o he Ci il Wa and he esul ing dic a o ship
i could be said ha ex books ne e ocus on he su e ing o people, o e en on he quo idian
li e du ing his ime. The e is a cu ain o silence su ounding his pe iod, and he dominan
na a i e s ill upholds he p i ileges o he mu de e s and denies hose o he ic ims.
In some ways, he cul u e o silence is he s a ing poin o he wo k by Belenky e al.
(1986). They di e en ia ed be ween silence, p ocedu al knowledge and, o e all, cons uc ed
knowledge in a sequence o s eps. The las s ep enables people o in eg a e di e se oices
in o sha ed knowledge. They conside ed knowledge as a p ocess o cons uc ion and
econs uc ion based on he capaci y o lis en and, by sha ing i , o coope a e wi h o he s.
In he end, hei mos impo an con ibu ion is indica ing how o connec he
knowledge ha is being c ea ed o communi y p ac ices o emancipa ion. Thus, one o he
key elemen s is no only how people c ea e knowledge bu also how his knowledge becomes
a s a egic elemen in c ea ing bonds, ne wo ks and ac ions ha s eng hen he social ab ic
and he communi y (Belenky, Bond & Weins ock, 1999).
In his esea ch abou he child en o he Thi d Reich, Ba -On (1989) s essed he
loneliness and, o e all he silence – he ‘walls’ – c ea ed in ela ion o he e en s, he
di icul ies o pene a e in he pa en s’ silence - o simply o ask, as my sel – and he ac ha
hey looked o s o ies ha can explain, wi hou pain, he hings happened. In he speci ic
case o Spain, psychologis s a e now paying a en ion abou he auma o ep ession in he
ic ims and hei ela i es. This can be only o e come by ecognizing hei su e ing by
sha ing hei s o ies.
The c ea ion o knowledge is a collabo a i e e o h ough which people sha e
concep s and ideas (Toulmin, 1977). I also e eals pa hs o ac ion. As Reason and B adbu y
poin ed ou , i “is on hose dimensions o social o ganiza ion ha decide he capaci y o
ini ia ing, de eloping and pu ing ideas in o e ec ” (2001, p. 23, i alics in he o iginal).
Examining se e al wo ks, Reege and Bunde s (2008) di e en ia ed be ween Mode
0, Mode 1 and Mode 2 ways o c ea ing knowledge. These au ho s es ablish a link be ween
each mode, he ela ion be ween science and socie y, and he ype o knowledge p oduced.
Mode 0 p oduces monodisciplina y knowledge wi h an emphasis on science and a clea
di e en ia ion be ween knowledge and people. Mode 1 esul s om coope a ion be ween
sciences and socie y and p oduces mul i-in e disciplina y knowledge. Finally, Mode 2 is
based on expe ien ial knowledge and p ac ice “and science bo h ac i ely seek he bes way
o s uc u e and manage complex change p ocesses” (Reege & Bunde s, 2008, p. 12).
Rega ding Mode 2, hese au ho s also s a ed:
Co-p oduc ion co esponds wi h he idea ha no only is scien i ic knowledge
ele an o he esolu ion o pe sis en socie al p oblems, bu ha social knowledge
o expe imen al knowledge is also impo an (Reege & Bunde s, 2008, p. 14).
Hall (2011) discussed knowledge democ acy and he eme gence o new discou ses and
p ac ices ela ed o social engagemen ha es ablish links be ween schola s and people in
communi ies. He a gues ha “ he s ong endency in bo h [knowledge democ acy and
knowledge access mo emen ] is o see, as a cen al alue, he dissemina ion and impac o
knowledge” (p. 14).
In his con ex , he new knowledge c ea ed mus be an a emp o o ganize pa hs o
emancipa ion by making he his o y o o dina y people isible. I is also a libe a ing p ocess
h ough which o enable communi y ac ions. As Fals Bo da (1986) a i med, “his o y akes
new aspec s o bo h u h and powe . No only can i be emembe ed bu ans o med in o a
ca apul o ac ion o achie e a be e collec i e li e” (p. 89). To him, he eco e y o
memo ies seems o enable ci izens o be e o ganize hei communi y issues by si ua ing
hem in a mac o-le el scena io ha places local his o ies in a b oade amewo k. He hough
ha “no e e y adi ion is posi i e, [only] p ac ices ha a e libe a ed om he aliena ing
in ojec ion o he exploi a i e sys em should be selec ed” (Fals Bo da, 1986, p. 102). This is
in connec ion o he no ion o olklo e - as G amsci (1974) po ayed i - as an aliena ing o m
o popula cul u e ha mus be c i icized and disman led.
Finally, i is impo an o conside ha each indi idual li e his o y is collec i e. As
Me ill a i ms:
Biog aphical esea ch may a i s sigh appea o be much o an indi idualis ic
app oach o engaging wi h class and adul lea ning as biog aphies a e la gely
analysed as an indi idualis ic way o unde s anding he social wo ld. Ye in
cons uc ing a biog aphy a pe son ela es o signi ican o he s and social con ex s: a
biog aphy is, he e o e, ne e ully indi idual (Me ill, 2007, p. 71).
Now, we will see i in he delica e wo k done by he adul lea ne s aking pa in he wo kshop.
The case: The li e o he o he s ( ha is ou li e).
I am going o desc ibe he con ex o whe e he wo kshop is held. Then, I will desc ibe he
wo k being done.
Con ex
The con ex can be de ined by se e al aspec s. Fi s , he e is he dis ic in which he adul
educa ion school is loca ed. Then, I will in oduce some no es on he adul educa ion sys em
in Eu ope and i s di ec ion a p esen . Finally, I will e e o he adul educa ion school whe e
he wo kshop is placed.
The neighbo hood
The di e se neighbo hoods ha compose he dis ic a e in he sou heas o he ci y.
Some o hem we e buil a ound an impo an ex ile ac o y ha has now disappea ed. O he s
we e popula ed in he 1960s by people who mig a ed om he coun yside o he ci y looking
o a be e li e.
p ocess o ecupe a ing democ acy be ween 1975 – he dea h o he dic a o – and 1978, when
he democ a ic cons i u ion was enac ed.
The gene a i e hemes ha a ose we e: a) he p ocesses o mig a ion – a consequence
o he p e ious esea ch, b) he i s massi e wo ke s’ s ikes, c) he bi h o democ a ic ade
unions (e en in he age o he dic a o ship), d) he social and poli ical mili ancy ei he in
clandes ine poli ical pa ies o in he i s neighbo hood associa ions, and e) he condi ion o
women.
In o man s we e people li ing in he dis ic who had wi nessed he e olu ion o he
di e se neighbo hoods o e hese yea s. A book was published (Talle pa a la ecupe ación
de la memo ia his ó ica y social, 2016), which was di ided in o wo sec ions as he i s one
al eady men ioned. The book was sel - unded by wo kshop membe s and inanced by book
sales.
Dissemina ion o his esea ch s a ed wi h a public e en in a communi y hea e in
he dis ic . Then, i was p esen ed in di e se loca ions: adul educa ion schools, seconda y
schools, communi y cen e s and he uni e si y. Audio- isual ma e ial was o ganized o
sys ema ize hese p esen a ions.
Since 2019, he wo kshop has been in ol ed in new esea ch ela ed o one o he
mos impo an ex ile ac o ies in he ci y. This ac o y is also signi ican o he his o y o
he dis ic – he hea e whe e he second esea ch was p esen ed is pa o a communi y
cen e buil inside he o me ac o y – and o he his o y o he wo ke s’ mo emen in he
ci y.

To da e, 8 in e iews – 7 men and 1 woman – ha e been conduc ed wi h people
connec ed o he ac o y: wo ke s, manage s, and ade unionis s. The in e iews we e
ocused on he his o y o he ac o y, i s in luence on he li e o he dis ic and he wo ke s’
mo emen , ei he in he dis ic o in he ci y. As he in e iews ha e now been o ganized and
analyzed, gene a i e hemes a e unde discussion.
Below, I will explain he me hodology.
The i s s ep was o de ine he idea – de i ed om Ma ía’s es imony – and o sea ch
o key in o man s, who we e selec ed by he membe s o he wo kshop among hose
a ending he school (in he i s esea ch) o neighbo s wi h a ele an expe ience o li ing
in he dis ic , o wo ked in he ex ile ac o y al eady men ioned. Some imes, in o man s
accep ed he in i a ion bu decided o wi hd aw hei es imony a e he in e iew. This was
obse ed in he i s esea ch and was ela ed o he silence and ea ha s ill exis s in ela ion
o he Ci il Wa and he dic a o ship. In pa allel wi h he selec ion o in o man s, a
com o able place in which o conduc he in e iews was p epa ed.
The second s ep was he in e iew i sel . The e we e no de ined guidelines. Ins ead,
i was a con e sa ion be ween he membe s o he wo kshop – no all o hem ook pa in
each in e iew – and he pe son who was elling hei his o y. In e iews we e eco ded in
bo h audio and ideo.
The nex s ep was he ansc ip ion o he in e iew by one o wo wo kshop membe s.
A e comple ing his ex , he p ocess o econs uc ing and analyzing each o he in e iews
was ini ia ed. This was done – including he ongoing esea ch – in weekly wo-hou mee ings
including all membe s o he wo kshop in which delica e and collabo a i e wo k is done, in
which di e se oices a e in eg a ed and cho al knowledge is p oduced. I in he i s esea ch
he o ganiza ion o he li e his o ies ook a mo e ch onological p esen a ion, he second and
he ongoing esea ch o ganize he es imonies acco ding o o he ca ego ies al eady de ined
as gene a i e hemes. Fou o i e weeks can be spen o ganizing each li e his o y. In his
p ocess, some elemen s o iangula ion also appea ed among he di e en na a i es ha a e
use ul o cla i ying eme ging doub s abou he na a ed e en s.
When his p ocess concluded, he in e iew was e u ned o he in o man o co ec
and o alida e he con en . They we e always he inal au ho i y on he con en o hei own
es imony.
The nex s ep was o con ex ualize he li e his o ies in o his o ical e en s. To do so,
each membe o he wo kshop con ibu ed books, documen s, pic u es, jou nals, e c. This
p ocess allowed he knowledge o be con ex ualized by complemen ing pe sonal es imonies
wi h o he sou ces o knowledge.
The las s ep is o p oduce he book, which is di ided in o wo di e en sec ions, as
p e iously explained. The book p esen s he con as be ween selec ed documen s and he
his o ies old by he people. In doing so, each book ies o con ex ualize each pe sonal
expe ience wi hin he b oade his o y o con on bo h. When he book is published, a se o
public speeches is o ganized o dissemina e he indings o he esea ch.
Ano he ele an elemen is he coope a ion among schola s and he wo kshop. This
was/is mainly ocused on me hodology: how o conduc esea ch and in e iews, analyze he
esul s, and o ganize ca ego ies o analysis. I is impo an o emphasize ha his coope a ion
is no ins i u ional, bu pe sonal. The uni e si y does no p o ide suppo o he p ac ice o
coope a ing wi h communi ies o democ a ize knowledge.
Discussion: The c ea ion o knowledge in he wo kshop
One o he mos impo an achie emen s o he wo kshop is o demons a e ha people can
play an impo an ole in c ea ing knowledge “ o hose elling and hose lis ening”
(T o anenko, 2017, p. 150), allowing hem o escape om he cul u e o silence.
The building o knowledge in he wo kshop is based on he con as be ween he
‘o icial’ his o y, which is p esen ed in he ex books and de i ed om he p ocesses o
legi ima ion o he dic a o ship ha se e poli ical, cul u al, and educa ional powe s, and he
collec i e his o y ha people sha e abou hei own li es lea ing he silence.
Fo many ic imized amilies, i means [ he knowledge p oduced] es o ing hei
digni y, achie ing pe sonal ca ha sis, ending public obli ion and he s igma o guil y.
This mo es hem o ecupe a e hei ela i es by gi ing hem he digni y ha he
ascism had denied. They can bu y hei ela i es in g a es wi h names and su names.
They can also ind hem in common g a es, pe o m a simple ci il ce emony, and
ecognize he place o he execu ions o he g a es wi h a monoli h o a ombs one
(Talle pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica, 2007, p. 160).
Pic u e 4. A chaeologis wo king in a common g a e. (Wancha, 2020)
I can be said ha , in he wo kshop, he e is - as in mode 2 - a mix u e be ween social and
expe ien ial knowledge. His o y is abou people, abou - in his case - he su e ing o people
who ha e e en los hei own name.
My a he sen a le e saying ha he e we e umo s ha maybe some people could
be eleased. O he s had said ha he same hing could happen o hemsel es oo. [Fo
eleased my a he ] ou names mus be changed, and also being bap ized and [my
mo he and my a he ] ma y in he chu ch. Then, my mo he old my eache , and
she answe ed: “yes, I knew all ha , bu I had no wan ed o ell you. So, you mus ge
ma ied in he chu ch and change he name o you child en”. So, hey [my pa en s]
changed my name. (Ma ía P., o me name Libe ad Ma iana de Pineda. Talle pa a la
ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica, 2007, p. 40).
I is also impo an o con as he local esul s wi h he knowledge p o ided by ex books
and he manne wi h which hey p esen he Ci il Wa and he dic a o ship
8
. The Ci il Wa is
only p esen ed in ela ion o ba les, oop mo emen s, e c. The dic a o ship is me ely
p esen ed by naming poli icians, go e nmen s, e c. The ex books make no e e ence o
ep ession, he s uggle o democ acy, he po e y o he people, mig a ion om he
coun yside o ci ies o o o he coun ies in Eu ope, e c. By challenging ex books,
knowledge is c ea ed om silence.
Abou he Republic and he wa , wha I emembe , wha was hea d om my amily.
They [ he ascis ] killed my wo uncles. Ramón was killed on July 22, 1936. He was
8
Fo ins ance. Uni e si y s uden s don’ know abou he In e na ional B igades and o he ac s conce ning he
Ci il Wa .
sho in Ma ia Luisa Pa k
9
, and An onio was sho on he ceme e y walls on Ap il 14,
1937. My a he mus join he Legion because he ea ed ha hey would kill him. jus
like his b o he s. He said ha he always sho o he g ound, and he sho himsel in he
leg and pu chickpeas in he wound o a oid e u ning o he on . (Dolo es. Talle
pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica y social, 2016, p. 219
By cons uc ing his new knowledge, adul lea ne s a e challenging he ‘o icial’ his o y and
a e elling hei own based on hei li es. The mos impo an hing he e is o conside ha
his knowledge comes om he expe ience o people li ing in he communi y. The majo
a emp o he people is o unmask he ‘o icial’ knowledge abou he Ci il Wa , he
dic a o ship, and he es o a ion o democ acy and con on i wi h hei own iews. In doing
so, hey challenge he hegemonic powe and build democ a ic knowledge based on hei li es
and memo ies o c ea e he capaci y o e lec upon he na a ed e en s.
My a he -in-law was a eache in To es
10
when he epublic was p oclaimed.
Teache s had he igh o a house, and i was in one o a ich man. When he ascis s
a i ed a he illage, hey pe o med a sea ch in his house and ound his UGT
11
c eden ial. He was imp isoned o se e al yea s, and he e begins he o u e o his
amily (Rosa io. Talle pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica, 2007, p. 29).
The knowledge p oduced a emp s o c ea e new pa hs o emancipa ion by making he his o y
o o dina y people isible agains he discou se o he conse a i e o ces ha a e ying o
9
A pa k in he ci y o Se ille.
10
A illage in Andalusia.
11
A socialis ade union: Unión Gene al de T abajado es

impede he sea ch o and exhuma ion o he ic ims o he wa and ep ession. As men ioned,
i is an expe ien ial knowledge ha de i es om hei own biog aphy.
And ha woman was called o he Plaza de España o ecei e some money i signing
ha he son had died o na u al causes. She did no sign because he [he son] led
and was killed [by he ascis ] in he Tama guillo
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. She did no ecei e any money
and wen o wo k o he ceme e y cleaning g a es o ha e some hing o ea and li e.
She usually came o my g andmo he ’s house o ea because she was midwi e o he .
(Ma ía L. Talle pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica, 2007, p. 33)
Conclusions
The main aim o he wo kshop is o econs uc a speci ic ime in he his o y o he coun y
using he expe iences o people whose oices a e usually no hea d. Li e his o ies and
biog aphies ha e a collec i e meaning because hey e e o a his o ical momen and make
sense when hey a e collec ed and o ganized. They desc ibe a speci ic si ua ion and how
his o y was made om he mic o (neighbo hood and people li ing in) o he mac o ( he place
o hese pe sonal s o ies in he whole his o y o he coun y) le els. The e o e, he wo kshop
in eg a es each indi idual li e in o he collec i e his o y o people s uggling o democ acy
and a be e li e.
Acco ding o López (2011), he e a e a a ie y o achie emen s ha eme ge om his
esea ch expe ience. Fi s , pa icipan s lea n how o conduc esea ch. Addi ionally, hey
acqui e he ools o exp ess hei oice and be lis ened. Fo ins ance, hei public p esen a ions
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A o me s eam in Se ille.
show hem how o exp ess hei own hough s and ideas. In addi ion, hey employ c ea i i y
when p epa ing hese public speeches by including music and poe y.
A las achie emen has been o aise awa eness ha a di e en iew o his o y exis s
and ha i is i al o b ing i o ligh by c ea ing and exp essing al e na i e his o ical
knowledge. They “wan ed o show how his o y can be buil h ough indi idual memo ies”
(Talle pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica, 2007, p. 16). As in he case o Rosa io’s
memo ies, she no ed “how my mo he ead [ o a woman who li ed in he s ee ] he las le e
o he son be o e he was sho ”. (Rosa io. Talle pa a la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica,
2007, p. 29).
The knowledge c ea ed by he wo kshop could be conside ed ela ional knowledge
ha “makes i possible o c ea e and sus ain a communi y” (Pa k, 2001, p. 86). I s esses a
collec i e app oach, and ha he p oduc ion o knowledge is a collec i e p ocess. Rela ional
knowledge is buil h ough a p ocess o lis ening o he li e his o ies o indi iduals. This
p ocess o lis ening c ea es solida i y and allows indi iduals o sha e hei pain ul memo ies
wi h o he s b eaking he silence. Addi ionally, his is a p ocess o healing - as some o he
in e iewees by Ba -On (1989) - which c ea es empa hy wi h o he people who a e now able
o unde s and e en s ha , because o hei age, hey did no expe ience di ec ly.
We a e con inced ha ou wo kshop has con ibu ed and collabo a ed o econs uc
pa o he his o ical pas - escuing he memo y om obli ion - o ou coun y
h ough each o he biog aphies [...] Thus, he memo y o each o hem becomes a
e e ence, an o al and w i en sou ce o hi he o unknown ac s and a people’s
documen ha shows he social, economic and policy his o y o a socie y (Talle pa a
la ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica y social, 2016, p. 301).
In Mode 2 o p oducing knowledge, “ac o s a e no ega ded as people who speak on behal
o o he s o in suppo o a pa icula in e es , bu as indi iduals who speak om hei
knowledge and expe ience” (Reege & Bunde s, 2008, p. 96).
We s a ed ying o ind some people who had wo ked in he channel
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and could ell
us hei s o y. Fo us, i was a su p ise when we began o alk abou hese ma e s
because we ealized ha he e was an immense social demand om he p o agonis s
o be hea d. We quickly began o lis en o hem and con ey hei social impo ance.
When we s a ed allying numbe s, we calcula ed ha abou 10,000 amilies we e
in ol ed [co esponding o app oxima ely 10,000 poli ical p isone s wo king in]. The
places whe e hey li ed had a name: "concen a ion camps" (Cecilio. Talle pa a la
ecupe ación de la memo ia his ó ica y social, 2016, p. 211).
Pic u e 5. Poli ical p isone s wo king in he ‘Channel o P isone s’ (Ga cía Longas, 2016)
In he in oduc ion o his a icle, I indica ed how he esea ch pe o med by adul lea ne s
was ocused on a silenced pe iod o his o y. The esea ch connec ed o he long adi ion o
democ a ic educa ion inspi es us in a momen when o ali a ian mo emen s a e h ea ening
democ acy. Democ a ic educa ion, as Dewey (1916) s a ed, is mo e conce ned wi h
p ac icing democ acy han wi h ocusing on me hods o he p ocess o eaching and lea ning
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The channel o p isone s was a public wo k unde aken o i iga e ex ensi e p ope ies. The owne s o hese
p ope ies we e usually landlo ds who suppo ed he coup d’é a and he dic a o ship. The wo k s a ed in
1940 and con inued un il 1962. The majo labo was p o ided by poli ical p isone s (Ga cía Longas, 2016).
i . Pa icipa o y esea ch is one o he me hodologies ha can help in his e o o p ese e
democ acy because i is bo h a me hodology and a esea ch p ocess based on pa icipa ion o
c ea e eal democ a ic knowledge abou ou pas , p esen and u u e li es. This democ a ic
p ac ices - such as he esea ch p esen ed in his a icle - c ea ed and s eng hened communi y
p ac ices in he dis ic , such as ad oca ing o a doc o ´s o ice, opposing powe cu s, o
hono ing he ic ims o ep ession by placing a plaque in ememb ance o one o hem.
Pic u e 6. Plaque in hono o F ancisco Ledesma, mu de ed du ing a s ike in 1977 by an
unknown kille .
Finally, he esea ch, and he p ocess in ol ed he ein, can also be conside ed libe a ing
because – h ough lis ening – i gene a es a healing p ocess o he indi iduals in ol ed.
People sha e memo ies, and by pa icipa ing in his p ojec , a p ocess o solida i y, empa hy,
and consola ion comes abou . When ela i es can emembe and hono he ic ims – by
elling hei his o ies o a ecep i e audience, o by inding hei emains – i is libe a ing. In
addi ion, when he los ic ims can be placed in se ings whe e hey can be hono ed and
emembe ed, he esul can be a healing p ocess o people such as Ma ía A. o F ancisco
who su e ed h ough p o ound auma ull o pain and ea .
I was bo n in Villanue a de San Juan
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, a e he Ci il Wa , when my mo he e u ned
om p ison. She was a poli ical p isone o he Mo imien o Nacional. His c ime was
o compe e wi h he head o he Falange [in he own]. Bo h had a bake y, bu my
mo he , because o he sympa hy and he good wo k, ook mos o he cus ome s, so
ha was he c ime. My a he was also imp isoned, bu i was in he concen a ion
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A li le illage in Se ille