Introductory note [Interlitteraria vol. 22:1]
Abstract
The dossier presented in this issue of Interlitteraria analyzes the complex relation between literary and artistic practices, and the situations of censorship and political repression suffered, opposed or responded to, in Lusophone and Hispanophone contexts during the 20th and 21st centuries. Even if many of the case studies deal with Iberian and Ibero-American dictatorships, with this special issue we want to reflect on the concepts of “repression” and “censorship” beyond the scope of authoritarian regimes, for these are processes that manifest themselves in different forms and also in apparently or superficially democratic scenarios. In fact, Iberian and Latin American contexts offer good examples of the persistence of patterns of rejection, repression and censorship in recent times, as well as of the range and potentialities of artistic and creative responses to these patterns. In both cases, we find models and manifestations of “direct violence”, but also more complex and concealed articulations leading to more subtle, and sometimes more dangerous ways, of censorship. From that viewpoint, this special issue discusses topics such as the individual construction of memories of political violence; the reflection of the artists’ own role in a context of repression, or the possibilities of artistic creation as self-affirmation against censorship.
Full text
5
In oduc o y No e
INTERLITT ERA RIA 2017, 22/1: 5–7
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.12697/IL.2017.22.1.1
In oduc o y No e
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano, San iago Pé ez Isasi
The dossie p esen ed in his issue o In e li e a ia analyzes he complex ela-
ion be ween li e a y and a is ic p ac ices, and he si ua ions o censo ship
and poli ical ep ession su e ed, opposed o esponded o, in Lusophone and
Hispanophone con ex s du ing he 20 h and 21s cen u ies. E en i many o he
case s udies deal wi h Ibe ian and Ibe o-Ame ican dic a o ships, wi h his
special issue we wan o e lec on he concep s o “ ep ession” and “censo -
ship” beyond he scope o au ho i a ian egimes, o hese a e p ocesses ha
mani es hemsel es in di e en o ms and also in appa en ly o supe icially
democ a ic scena ios. In ac , Ibe ian and La in Ame ican con ex s o e good
examples o he pe sis ence o pa e ns o ejec ion, ep ession and censo ship
in ecen imes, as well as o he ange and po en iali ies o a is ic and c ea i e
esponses o hese pa e ns. In bo h cases, we ind models and mani es a ions
o “di ec iolence”, bu also mo e complex and concealed a icula ions leading
o mo e sub le, and some imes mo e dange ous ways, o censo ship. F om ha
iewpoin , his special issue discusses opics such as he indi idual cons uc-
ion o memo ies o poli ical iolence; he e lec ion o he a is s’ own ole in a
con ex o ep ession, o he possibili ies o a is ic c ea ion as sel -a i ma ion
agains censo ship.
The ex s ga he ed unde his dossie summa ize he discussions held du ing
an in e na ional colloquium a ound he same opic o ganized in Lisbon in Oc-
obe 2015. Al hough he e en a emp ed o co e a wide a ie y o app oaches
and con ex s, i ound a s ong e e en in he igu e o José Sa amago, whose
ounda ion hos ed he mee ing. Sa amago’s li e a y and pe sonal ajec o ies
we e s ongly in luenced by he e usal o e iden and no -so-e iden o ms
o poli ical iolence and opp ession. His wo k ques ioned he possibili ies and
limi s o e baliza ion and c ea i i y agains si ua ions o pain and ejec ion,
some hing ha is a s ake in all he con ibu ions p esen ed in his special issue.
I is no by me e chance, hen, ha he i s sec ion o his special issue,
de o ed o “Li e a u e agains opp ession”, begins wi h wo wo ks de o ed o
he wo k o José Sa amago, in compa ison wi h wo o he Hispanic au ho s:
Julio Co áza and Miguel Delibes. Bo h wo ks analyze he ex ual con igu-
a ions ha allow o his w i e s, in di e en linguis ic, social and poli ical
con ex , o cons uc a c i icism o economic dispa i y and poli ical ep ession.
The same compa a i e spi i also anima es he nex a icle, by An onio Ri e o
Machina, which deals wi h he my h o Don Quixo e and i s use in he poe y
engaged wi h he opposi ion o F ancoism and o Es ado No o; pa adoxically, i
6
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano, San iago Pé ez Isasi
is no Don Quixo e he cha ac e ha inspi es poe s, bu he mo e “p ole a ia ”
Sancho Panza. The las ex in his i s block o a icles is de o ed o Ja ie
Egea’s poe ic wo k, which is unde s ood as a igh agains opp ession no only
in he con ex o Ibe ian dic a o ships, bu also in he “ ee” capi alis ic wo ld.
The second sec ion o his issue deals wi h examples o censo ship in Spain
and Po ugal. S udies on censo ship wi hin he Ibe ian con ex ha e expe i-
enced a no able inc ease in he las decades, wi h p ojec s and publica ions
de o ed o li e a u e, hea e o cinema and hei ela ionship wi h he cen-
so s; he ex s included in his sec ion o e aluable con ibu ions o his end.
Fo ins ance, Zsó ia Gomba and Luís Ca los Pimen a Gonçal es’s a icles a e
de o ed, espec i ely, o English and F ench books which su e ed censo ship
du ing F ancoism and Es ado No o. Pila A nau o e s a somewha simila case
s udy, by analyzing he con on a ions ha one au ho om Mallo ca, An oni
Se a, had wi h F ancois censo s because o his poli ical in ol emen and his
ole as a cul u al agi a o in he island. Ana Bela Mo ais’s wo k, on he o he
hand, compa es he las yea s o bo h Ibe ian dic a o ships and he way hey
ied o con ol and limi he dis ibu ion o La in-Ame ican ilms wi h e o ic
o poli ical con en . This second pa o he issue closes wi h he con ibu ion
o Luísa Dua e San os, which deals wi h he Second Gene al Exhibi ion o
Plas ic A s, held in Po ugal in 1947, which became a symbol o ep ession and
esis ance agains ep ession.
This las ex se es as a link wi h he hi d block o a icles, which deals
wi h isual and pe o ma i e inqui ies on poli ical iolence. The inclusion o
a c i ical oice wi hin isual mani es a ions ha e been a cen al conce n o
con empo a y a is ic p ac ice. The e has been an in e es in anscending ep-
esen a ional and discu si e issues in o de o add ess opics ela ed o audi-
ence pa icipa ion, he social ele ance o cul u al c i icism, and he sub e si e
capaci y o public a is ic in e en ions. Alba Sau a Cla es’s app oxima ion o
A gen inian adi ion o Tea o Abie o sha es ha iewpoin , a emp ing o
analyze he whole se o agencies ha can be igge ed by pe o ma i e p ac-
ices. While ancho ed in li e a y c i icism, Alejand o U u ia’s con ibu ion also
sha es his conce n o explo ing in which ways con empo a y c ea i e p ac-
ices a ising om pos -dic a o ial con ex s can ede ine indi idual au ho ship
and collec i e commi men . In o de o do ha , he examines he ac i i y o he
Chilean w i e Ped o Lemebel, whose wo k a ises om an iden i ica ion wi h
ma ginal and subal e n communi ies and om a challenge o he limi a ions o
adi ional ep esen a i e means. The explo a ion o how c ea i i y can bea
wi ness o collec i e p ocesses o esis ance and ac i ism cen e s Isabel Seguí’s
a icle. Seguí analyzes he li e and poli ical ac ion o Domi ila Ba ios de Chun-
ga a, a Boli ian ac i is opposing dic a o ship, by con on ing wo di e en
7
In oduc o y No e
na a i es: a es imonial na a i e and a pe o ma i e documen a y. Th ough
his app oxima ion, Seguí s esses he impo ance o ejec ing he commodi ica-
ion o poli ical causes and ac o s by c ea i e indus ies, assessing he po en ial
o collabo a i e p ac ices in he p ocess o econs uc ing collec i e auma ic
memo ies.
S ephanie Hon ang’s eading o Ca los Sau a’s Tango also deals wi h au-
ma and ememo a ing, bu i does so by app oaching he cinema ic ec ea ion
o ges u al memo y. Tango, Hon ang a gues, challenges he di ision be ween
aes he ic and poli ical commen a y by inca dina ing bo h in he conca ena-
ion o mo emen s and he ension be ween bodily exp essi i y and denial. In
a simila way, Gab iela Ri e a app oaches U uguayan ca ni al as a pla o m
o poli ical esis ance. In his case, he ocus is placed on he po en ial o e -
nacula c ea i i y o challenge censo ship. Ri e a s esses he ole played by
ca ni al as a space o ac i e engagemen , whe e, in he wo ds, “poli ical and
social con ex could be con on ed and he o icial discou ses de ied”. Finally,
Espe anza Guillén analyzes he ole o in ellec uals, and mo e speci ically isual
a is s and w i e s, in he c ea ion o chains o solida i y du ing and in he yea s
p eceding he Spanish Ci il Wa . Guillén shows how he bonds o hospi al-
i y and iendship de eloped h ough imes o con lic we e o e poli ical and
pe sonal i al ies. Whe eas mos o he a icles o his special issue s ess he
con lic i e ela ionship be ween indi idual and collec i e c ea o s and ep es-
si e powe s, Guillén de elops an in e es ing app oxima ion o he po en ial o
mu ual ecogni ion and cul u al empa hy.
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano
San iago Pé ez Isasi
Cen o de Es udos Compa a is as, Faculdade de Le as,
Uni e sidade de Lisboa