(Re)thinking Falklands (1982–2022): Visions and Versions in Argentinian and British Cultures

This event has ended.

An international virtual conference hosted jointly by the School of Modern Languages (Cardiff University) and the Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani (Universidad de Buenos Aires).

About the conference
Four decades after the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and Great Britain, the historical facts of the conflict and its immediate political consequences have largely been established. While in the UK, the war in the South Atlantic seems all but forgotten, in Argentina memory culture surrounding the Malvinas is as prevalent as ever. Following a period of collective amnesia in the decades immediately following the defeat against the British Task Force, referred to in Argentina as the process of desmalvinización, over the last fifteen to twenty years a number of initiatives have brought the armed conflict and the associated territorial claim back to a wider public’s attention (remalvinización).

A growing majority of Argentinians and Britons are too young to have fought in the Falklands War or even have a direct recollection of it. As the task of keeping alive the memory of the conflict shifts towards the “postgeneration” (Hirsch), wider questions arise relating to the transmission of knowledge and experience, traumatic or otherwise. The emerging historical perspective also holds the opportunity to reflect on four decades of memory practice.

At this juncture, then, it is time for a re-evaluation of the conflict’s cultural legacy, beyond the accounts offered by political and military history. What can we see today that we couldn’t 10, 20, 30 years ago? What do more recent approaches to the war offer that earlier ones didn’t or couldn’t? How have the perceptions and representations of the conflict shifted over time? What readings of the war have prevailed and what alternative views, if any, have been marginalized or erased altogether from “cultural memory” (Assmann)? What role do popular culture, the Internet and social media play in remembering the conflict? These are some of the questions the conference will explore.

Programme
The full conference programme (“completo”) includes the schedule, abstracts and biographical sketches of the contributors.
There is also short version (“breve”) which provides a tabular overview of the three days without details.

Event format & recording
The event will take place online as a Zoom webinar and will be recorded for publication after the event.

Registration
Please note the registration deadline is at 14:00 (BST) on Tuesday 5 April 2022. Attendance is free of charge. To receive a copy of the full programme and the links to the Zoom Webinar, please register by clicking on the ‘book places’ button on the left-hand side of this page and completing the online form.

Data protection notice
Please note that when registering, your data will be held in accordance with our Data Protection Notice. We will process the personal data you provide to us in accordance with data protection regulations.