Forming future citizens: emotion and the republic's colonias for evacuee children during the Spanish civil war (1936–1939)

Thesis

This thesis is a study of the discourse, practices and experience of the Republic's colonias—collective homes or family placements—created to protect and educate evacuee children during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). It contributes to our knowledge of state and rearguard civil institutions—unions, proletarian movements, revolutionary committees, and humanitarian organizations—which set up colonias and of the experience of parents, children, and teachers as they interacted with these authorities. Intersecting Spanish Civil War history with that of emotions and childhood, the thesis is shaped by a lexical framework of emotion words: fear, hope, (un)happiness, and disillusion. These provide an interpretive framework designed to retain the complexities and possibilities of the past and bring nuance to the ideologically cemented narrative of the war.

The thesis concludes, firstly, that the wartime colonias were a continuation of two very different prehistories: liberal Republican reform and proletarian labour conflict. As a result, whilst all authorities concurred with persuading parents to evacuate children, the utopian visions and practices of anarchist, communist, socialist, and liberal Republican authorities were incompatible. Authorities sought to form future citizens according to their particular ideology. Furthermore, the government's policy for control of all colonias was never entirely successful. Secondly, emotive propaganda and emotional practices developed around the colonia were an important part of dualist civil war rhetoric. They had a significant role in the cultural project of rebuilding Republican Spain and were useful to the state in securing international support. However, whilst evacuation to colonias removed children from the besieged capital to places of relative safety, in many cases the model colonias of propaganda were mere illusion and protection of children failed either through systemic failure; inadequate and disillusioned staff who did not align themselves with Republican ideology; or through the privations of war.

Authors: Sheridan Breakwell, S

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: children and war; child displacement; Spanish civil war (1936-1939); emotion; colonias; war; child evacuees; children; children's colonies
• Subjects: Spain; Political aspects, Spain; Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939); Emotions; Social aspects, Spain; 20th century; Labour movement, Spain; Children; History; Evacuation and civilians