Back to dealing with the violent past. Collective memory and disputes over ETA’s story

Abstract

This paper deals with the process of collective memory reconstruction linked to the ETA’s violence. It pays attention to the controversies connected to the public management of such memory, trying to identify its main challenges and looking at the political and social tension that emerge when reconciled with the purpose of victim reparation. To this end, it will first address oblivion as a form of injustice towards victims. Then, it will reflect on the ‘battle for the story’, an expression that is being used when identifying the controversies caused by institutional memory policies and that, in addition, will allow us to concern the connections between memory and history, as well as the centrality of interpretations and sense. Finally, it will point at the limits and potentialities of memory when it comes to understanding the present, without avoiding the central issue of responsibility over actions as a prerequisite for aspiring to some form of justice.