Dr. Campoy-Cubillo to present "Memories of the Maghreb" April 2

Dr. Adolfo Campoy-Cubillo, assistant professor of Spanish, will present his book, "Memories of the Maghreb: Transnational Identities in Spanish Cultural Production," from 2-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, in the Oakland Center Lake Superior Room A.

Published in October 2012, the three-part volume is an in-depth study of cultural representations of the Spanish colonization of North Africa. Despite the crucial role that the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco played in the radicalization of the colonial officers – which eventually led to the Spanish Civil War – this chapter of Spanish history has only recently begun to be analyzed.

“In my presentation, I will be looking at the numerous, and often conflicting, movements of solidarity with the Saharawi people that have appeared throughout Spain as a revealing cultural phenomenon,” Dr. Campoy-Cubillo said. “Spanish solidarity with the Saharawi is simultaneously informed by guilt –Spain occupied Western Sahara during the first half of the 20th century – and nostalgia. The loss of the colonies mirrors the loss of a coherent national discourse within Spain."

"Memories of the Maghreb" explores how the Spanish colonization of North Africa at the turn of the twentieth century continues to haunt Spain's efforts to articulate a national identity that can accommodate both the country's diversity brought about by immigration from its old colonies, and the post-national demands of its integration in the European Union. The book is available at bookstores and online retailers.

Dr. Campoy-Cubillo is especially interested in analyzing the material conditions that have contributed to the development of Spanish colonial discourse and its re-articulation in contemporary Spain. His most recent projects focus on the representation of Spanish colonial presence in North Africa in contemporary Spanish novels and documentaries.

For more information, contact Dr. Campoy-Cubillo at (248) 370-2073 or e-mail campoycu@oakland.edu. 

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