The Memory Work of Jewish Spain

Erudite and accessible, Flesler and Pérez Melgosa's study is a long-awaited deep dive into the present of Spain's Jewish past.

~David Wacks, University of Oregon, author of Double Diaspora in Sephardic Literature

Based on extensive fieldwork, The Memory Work of Jewish Spain offers a well-theorized and well-historicized account of the heritage industry in contemporary Spain that encourages tourists to visit former Jewish quarters (real or invented) where Jewish culture was, precisely, obliterated. The book's most original feature is its analysis of the "multidirectional memory" that entangles the "recovery" of Jewish culture with the memory work around the victims of Francoist reprisals in and after the Spanish Civil War, in both cases predicated on an unpalatable history of violence that many prefer to ignore. 

~Jo Labanyi, New York University

a wide-ranging book that analyzes the ways in which public imaginary has taken form in heritage sites throughout Spain.

~Sephardic Horizons

The Memory Work of Jewish Spain does more than fill a crucial gap. It is a breakthrough in both Spanish and Jewish studies, modeling new paths in memory and heritage studies with its thorough and illuminating assessment of Spain's current engagement with its Jewish past.

~Dalia Kandiyoti - College of Staten Island, CUNY, AJS Review

It is an extremely rich volume relating with wit and depth to the most up-to-date research, with insights and contributions nurtured by in-situ observations and encounters with some of the protagonists of the complex and elusive stories that fill out its pages.

~Esra Almas - Bilkent University, Studies in Contemporary Jewry

Many of the efforts in Spain to reconnect with its Jewish past, especially focusing on the growing visibility of Jewish locations, associations, buildings, and activities, are documented and analyzed in The Memory Work of Jewish Spain. An underlying question throughout is the impact of, as the authors point out, the Jewish past which has not been forgotten on Spanish culture. Thus, the authors grapple with understanding the significance of spaces that were Jewish long ago. In addition, they illustrate how several intersecting facets, the Jewish history with the more recent and tangible impact of the Civil War/Franco years, impact the re-creation of memory. The rich text is complemented generously by the equally rich endnotes closing each chapter. Full of commentary, they also serve as a valuable source of additional information.

~Annette Fromm, H-NET Reviews Humanities & Social Sciences