Successful start of 2016: Study abroad in the Basque Country
In January 2016, Dr. Borislava Manojlovic led a team of students in an immersive study abroad trip to the Basque Country, Spain. The course, titled “Memory and Conflict: Dealing with the Past Constructively,” allowed students to discover how different actors and institutions address processes of dealing with the region’s contentious past through education, justice, policymaking, and art.
The Basque Country has experienced protracted conflict described as “Europe’s longest war” with roots that can be traced to the time of Spanish Civil War and before. The Basque Study Abroad trip explored the consequences of the conflict and steps that are being taken to help spur the reconciliation process.
About us
The Basque Country Research The investment in the Basque region started with Elkarri (http://www.elkarri.org/en/), an established NGO dedicated to the peace process in the Basque country, that began conversation with Senator George Mitchell and his possible...
El Lobo movie screening and discussion
“El Lobo” is a film that beautifully melds together an artistic visual experience with a complicated, and multifaceted story about nationalism and moral ambiguity . The story involves a man, Txema, who is incredibly passionate towards his homeland – the Basque country – but due to some unforeseen circumstances he ends up being recruited by the Spanish government to infiltrate ETA. In the process he undergoes tribulations that cause him to lose his wife and question what it means to love his country. His journey makes him question exactly how far he is willing to go for his country, and he is ultimately forced to choose between what he believes is the lesser of two evils. On one hand, he must consider helping the nationalist terrorist organization ETA, whose goal is Basque independence, or the Spanish government, who wishes to suppress ETA for their own personal gain.
Successful start of 2016: Study abroad in the Basque Country
In January 2016, Dr. Borislava Manojlovic led a team of students in an immersive study abroad trip to the Basque Country, Spain. The course, titled “Memory and Conflict: Dealing with the Past Constructively,” allowed students to discover how different actors and institutions address processes of dealing with the region’s contentious past through education, justice, policymaking, and art.
The Basque Country has experienced protracted conflict described as “Europe’s longest war” with roots that can be traced to the time of Spanish Civil War and before. The Basque Study Abroad trip explored the consequences of the conflict and steps that are being taken to help spur the reconciliation process.
The Basque Model of Sustainable Development: Making an Economic Case
The Basque case is an example of how the new local approach to economic development can be a solution for overcoming economic challenges of a European state. Although the entire territory of Spain was heavily hit by 2008 economic crisis, the Basque country managed to secure its economic strength because of its human development approach.
Dealing with the Past in The Basque Autonomous Community: Toward A Post-Transitional Justice Process?
As the Srebrenica commemorations highlighted few weeks ago, it is obviously hard to deal with the past after a period of violence. Indeed, violent episodes generate storytelling clashes through the memory-making process, focusing on the need to build a pacific common space to share different sufferings and ensure a positive peace,
In the Basque Autonomous Community, the development of a memory-making process could be linked with a form of “post-transitional justice”. This notion derives from the concept of transitional justice, which designs “the set of judicial and non-judicial measures that have been implemented by different countries in order to redress the legacies of massive human rights abuses”. It is based on four pillars: the right to the truth, the right to justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence. Thus the post-transitional justice deals with the implementation of these four pillars after a period of strong violence. For example, the trial in 2011 dealing with the ESMA in Argentina could be analyzed as a form of post-transitional justice, as they occurred thirty years after the end of the military junta.
Impressions from the Basque Country
Traveling from the cool and cloudy Bilbao towards the sweltering heat of Barcelona, I feel a tinge of regret for the unseen, undiscovered, of inability to savor all the wonders of one place in a short period of time. In my mind’s eye, people and places I visited in the Basque country become alive.
Women in Conflict Creation: The Misattribution of Political Agency
A woman’s role in peace and security has always been a topic of hot debate. After decades of victimization, the groundbreaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325 redefined the women’s role and welcomed a feminine approach to peace and mediation processes.
Study Abroad in the Basque Country, Spain
Visit Bilbao, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Guernica
March 3-11, 2017
3 Credits
Memory and Conflict: Dealing with the Past Constructively
Instructor: Dr. Borislava Manojlovic
- Discover how different actors and institutions address processes of dealing with the contentious past through education, justice, policymaking and art
- Interact with government officials in the Basque Parliament, civil society leaders, scholars, activists and artists
- Visit cultural sights and meet local people in Bilbao, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Guernica and Vitoria
SPACE LIMITED – APPLY NOW BY DECEMBER 15, 2016
Uncertainty in Spain as Parliament Struggles to Form New Government
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Envoy by Gabriela Taveras The Socialist Workers’ Party of Spain (PSOE) decided earlier this fall to hold a third general election next year, according to Politico. Political gridlock has besieged the...
The Nascent Spirit of Solidarity: The Refugee Policies in the Basque Country
Last year, the Basque Government donated US $257,000 to the UN Relief and Work Agency’s Syria’s Response Plan. Justice counselor and Basque Government Speaker, Josu Erkoreka, announced in September of 2015 that the Basque Country would accept 1,000 refugees over the next two years.