Isabel Burdiel speaks with clarity and depth about history, touching on works like Isabel II. A Biography and Emilia Pardo Bazán, both published by Taurus. In this interview she discusses the present moment in Spain, the post-war era, and the enduring legacy of the transition that shaped the country after Franco.
Historians from Valencia and researchers invited from universities in England and the United States address the period when modern Spain began to take its current shape, offering a perspective that stands out in the cultural and political language of the time.
She reflects on a legacy that persists amid forgetfulness or criticism: “They asked, and they keep asking. The Transition remains an immaculate and transhistorical ideal that can feel like a hopeful memory of youth. Yet it is not funny, and it challenged the myth of a broad consensus that could propel the country into the future.”
Her work as a historian is recognized with national awards for biographies such as Elizabeth II and for Valencian literary criticism. Among her other titles are The Politics of the Magnanimous (Alfonso the Magnanimous, 1987), Mary Wollstonecraft. Defense of women’s rights (Cátedra, 1994), Mary Shelley. Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus (Cátedra, 1996), Liberals, agitators and conspirators. Heterodox biographers of the Spanish nineteenth century, with Manuel Pérez Ledesma (Espasa, 2000), and Elite Liberals, edited by Manuel Pérez Ledesma (Marcial Pons, 2008).
The conversation was conducted for the series Emotion and History, derived from a broader survey.
Question: Would revisiting other historical periods help society better understand its present moment?
RLP Hartley once wrote in 1953 in The Thing Between, “The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.” The point is that foreign nations reveal much about one’s own country. History, with all its strangeness, helps illuminate the present and invites people to reflect on it more clearly.
Question: Just as schools and universities once studied the past, today the globe faces wars, brutal conflicts, and misunderstandings. Where does the impulse to confront and even endure violence originate for humanity?
Answer: It is hard to answer without venturing into anthropology and biology. Yet history, with its insistence on contextual change and the reach and limits of human action, offers a powerful lens. Knowledge can be empowering in good or dangerous ways. Recommended readings include Chris Clark’s Sleepwalkers, which analyzes Europe’s path to war in 1914, and the arguments of Ziblatt and Levitsky on how democracies die and how minorities can be oppressed. Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny and Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, as well as The Road to Not Being Free by the same author, are also valuable.
Q: As a History professor, which episode studied in depth felt most incomprehensible and most harmful, and which acquaintance offered the most instructive insight?
Answer II: In studying Elizabeth I, the aim was to understand how actions by the Crown and major liberal parties allowed opportunities for great disappointment. It is also crucial to consider the risks involved in instrumentalizing the monarchy in politics.
Question: Emilia Pardo Bazán stands out in Spanish literature and as a symbol of feminist struggle. What is the impact of this literature on women’s fight for freedom, and does literary history help illuminate the struggle?
R: Pardo Bazán has long been seen as a loose link in the history of Spanish feminism due to the difficulty of reconciling her feminism with conservatism. The discussion here centers on the nuanced combination of conservatism and progressivism in her feminist writings and essays, a topic explored in depth in the broader study.
“If students still don’t know after your lessons, it’s largely your fault and doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate what a great and excellent teacher you are.”
Q: Apprenticeship abroad, especially in England and the United States, shaped the intellectual and civic outlook. What did these encounters teach about the future of life?
Answer: As a historian, the value of human action in historical development is central and writing history in a way that is meaningful for experts and lay readers alike is essential. In 1990-91, at Johns Hopkins University, the potential of poststructuralism to renew cultural and postcolonial history was explored. Today this approach is common and shows diminishing returns in Spanish historiography. It sparked interest in the links between history and literature.
Q: There is an infamous anonymous graffiti, “when we got the answers, they changed the questions.” For a historian, are there facts or certainties that have shifted significantly since earlier beliefs or studies?
Answer: In any research, especially history, the core task is to ask sharp questions and define problems well. The questions evolve with other historians and the interests of each era. Healthy skepticism toward new ways of writing history is valuable but can lead to retreat into a comfort zone when overused.
Q: A young journalist who has found a method of interpreting history asks how historiography and journalism relate.
Answer: It is not easy to answer. Journalists are increasingly drawn to history, and it is important for historians to engage in public discourse.
Q: What does the emergence of Infinite Archive, or Google, mean for the science of history? Does direct access to archives threaten history as a form of knowledge?
Answer: Not necessarily. It depends on careful usage. A new field that has emerged alongside these changes is Digital Humanities.
Q: What does it take to communicate with today’s learners and teachers?
Answer: Respect for students is essential. If learners are not interested or do not know after lessons, it is partly the teacher’s responsibility. The goal is to cultivate historical thinking and to make the subject meaningful for everyone.
“Savage liberalism and populism – and a certain right that follows them – have no interest in quality education and know that their power and influence depends on their ability to erode public schools and universities.”
Q: Given the role of history teaching in fostering coexistence, is there a concern about improving universities and schools in the country?
Answer: Views vary. Wild liberalism and populism, together with a segment of the right, often show little concern for quality education, understanding that power relies on weakening public schools and universities. This is a global issue and a critical moment for societies.
Q: This interview series aims to reveal how studying the past can inform present interpretation. In which life areas do you find common sense features that illuminate survival or meaning, as explored by a journalist?
Answer: Transition agreements, with their limits, embody common sense and the capacity to learn from history. The ability to dialogue and reach consensus across opposing viewpoints was eroded when historical awareness declined. Political scientists, including Pablo Iglesias, have argued that the Transition was not a flawless or timeless model. Societies rely on myths, and as Lévi-Strauss noted, myths can be lies that reveal truth.