The question this study is attempting to address is how art can be used as a tool for promoting sustainable peace and the formation of a critical and accountable citizen.Such humanistic function of art is challenged i...The question this study is attempting to address is how art can be used as a tool for promoting sustainable peace and the formation of a critical and accountable citizen.Such humanistic function of art is challenged in situations where society has been wounded as it often happens during and after the war.This study claims that challenges are fundamentally connected to the problem of historical narratives,especially those related to collective traumas,their use and role in shaping the views of the future generations.Narratives about the contentious past,and particularly collective traumas,are considered an important part of the cultural capital and collective identity of a society serving as a nation-building tool that unifies and glorifies the“in-group”.They can also serve to mobilize people along ethnic lines,which can lead to tensions and conflict.The aim of the study is to examine historical narratives and representations of the collective trauma of Guernica,the epicenter of the Basque identity and culture.The article concludes with an analysis of the artistic representations of collective trauma,such as the famous Picasso’s painting Guernica that has served to promote the message of peace by provoking critical thinking and accountability.展开更多
文摘The question this study is attempting to address is how art can be used as a tool for promoting sustainable peace and the formation of a critical and accountable citizen.Such humanistic function of art is challenged in situations where society has been wounded as it often happens during and after the war.This study claims that challenges are fundamentally connected to the problem of historical narratives,especially those related to collective traumas,their use and role in shaping the views of the future generations.Narratives about the contentious past,and particularly collective traumas,are considered an important part of the cultural capital and collective identity of a society serving as a nation-building tool that unifies and glorifies the“in-group”.They can also serve to mobilize people along ethnic lines,which can lead to tensions and conflict.The aim of the study is to examine historical narratives and representations of the collective trauma of Guernica,the epicenter of the Basque identity and culture.The article concludes with an analysis of the artistic representations of collective trauma,such as the famous Picasso’s painting Guernica that has served to promote the message of peace by provoking critical thinking and accountability.
