ICOMOS lezing ‘Contested History & the Politics of Memory, Amstelkerk 10 december 19.30h

Dear members and heritage enthusiasts, This time, on wednesday 10 december, Javier Lizarzaburu (freelancer) and Paula O’Donohue (EuroClio) will guide us through the many challenges of contested heritage and the politics of memory. They will explore these themes using two practical case studies: Lima and Madrid. Pease note: there is a new registration procedure. You can find the link here.

The Lecture CommitteeAnkie Petersen, Anna Louwerse, Daan Lavies, Emma Egberts, Jean-Paul Corten, Milou Derksen, en Remco Vermeulen

The Valley of the Fallen by Marostegui via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Contested Heritage and the Politics of Memory. Two Cases: Lima and Madrid

Public space is one of the most visible arenas where nations negotiate uncomfortable legacies. As societies, especially in Europe and the Americas, become increasingly polarised, debates around monuments, street names and historical symbols are no longer peripheral cultural questions. They have become key sites where competing visions of identity, citizenship and history are asserted or resisted.This session brings two perspectives on how cities address contested heritage. Javier Lizarzaburu will discuss Lima, a postcolonial capital where conservative administrations have repositioned the city’s heritage narrative by focusing on colonial symbols. The return of the statue of conquistador Francisco Pizarro illustrates this shift, revealing how dominant historical framings persist, while Indigenous, pre-colonial narratives are sidelined.Paula O’Donohue will focus on Madrid, where heritage linked to the Franco dictatorship is being reassessed through new national frameworks such as the 2022 Law of Democratic Memory. The process has generated tensions between national and regional approaches to heritage governance, highlighting how different levels of administration interpret their responsibilities in managing difficult or sensitive heritage. Taken together, these two cases show how the politics of memory intersect with heritage practice at a moment when consensus around the past is becoming increasingly fragile. They also prompt reflection on the role of heritage professionals in safeguarding the integrity and inclusivity of heritage narratives in the urban and commemorative landscape.

Left: Monument to Francisco Pizarro. Photo: Creative Commons, Public Domain. Right: Monument to Manco Capac. Photo: Creative Commons, Kala Chuymani. Composition: J. Lizarzaburu.

Program

18h30 Drinks and meal 19h30 Introduction by Daan Lavies 19h35 Lima: Heritage, Memory and the Politics of a Divided City – Javier Lizarzaburu 20h10 Break  20h25 Mnemonic Wars: The Resignification of the Public Space in Madrid – Paula O’Donohue 21h00 Discussion 21h15 End

About the lecturers

Paula O’Donohue is Programme Director of the Contested Histories Initiative at EuroClio, the European Association of History Educators. She holds a BA in Social and Cultural Anthropology, an Erasmus Mundus MA in European Studies, and a PhD in Sociology and Anthropology. Some of her research interests are the transgenerational transmission of memorial narratives in post-conflict societies, memory activism, and contested pasts.

Javier Lizarzaburu is Heritage and Communication Specialist. He holds an MA in Heritage and Urban Planning from the Vrije Univesiteit Amsterdam and pursued doctoral studies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Formerly an award-winning editor with the BBC, his current work focuses on contested heritage, public memory and urban inclusion, with a particular interest in how Lima’s pre-colonial and colonial legacies shape contemporary identity.

Practical Information

Cost for ICOMOS members: lectures are free; meal €15. Cost for non-ICOMOS members: lectures €5; lectures + meal €20.  Meal Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. Unless otherwise communicated, this will be an Indonesian rice table.  Please note: registrations or cancellations for the meal must be made no later than 48 hours in advance.  Location Amstelkerk (Amstelveld 10, Amsterdam)

Registration

Registration takes place via the website. Click here. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, 10 December at the Amstelkerk in Amsterdam. See you then! We hopen jullie te zien op woensdag 10 december in de Amstelkerk in Amsterdam. Tot dan!

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