The Evolving Anniversary: Reinterpretations of Memory About May 2nd, 1808 in Madrid

Abstract

The 2nd of May 1808 constitutes a rare case of a pro-independence struggle in Spanish history. Various political myths arose about the events in Madrid, and the uprising has been commemorated in the public space of the capital and other cities. The following anniversaries of these events became an opportunity to create a particular narrative, which had evolved with time and had been used most intensively during Franco’s dictatorship. Contemporary democratic Spain, with its struggles to elaborate a coherent, integrative narrative about national history and identity, has refrained from utilizing this anniversary to maintain any myths related to this date, keeping it as a regional Day of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The traditional rituals are still preserved in the regional collective memory of some parts of Spain. At the same time, new narratives are shaped by minor, radical political groups, which reinterpret the events of 1808 according to their political views. The memory of the 2nd of May is an example of contemporary Spain’s diverse, heterogeneous collective memory.