A first-of-its-kind virtual museum, dedicated to the exploration and understanding of the Spanish Civil War is now open to online visitors after its launch event at Trent University on Thursday.
Developed and co-directed by Trent University history professor Dr. Antonio Cazorla-Sanchez, the project brings together scholars and experts from Trent, York University, the SSHRC and the University of Warwick, as well as the Embassy of Spain in Canada and Spain's Ministry of Culture and Sport.
This virtual museum is the first dedicated museum that gives a global explanation of the conflict from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives including history, archaeology, digital humanities, literary and cultural studies.
The project has received international support from institutional partners as well as the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Connections Grant which supported the museum by providing $30,000 in funding.
“In many ways, the past is a foreign country. Through the visual elements of this museum, we are witnessing what people experienced in the moment,” said Prof. Cazorla-Sanchez. “A way for visitors to immerse themselves in the mentalities of the people who experienced those events. The big issues that were relevant in the Spanish Civil War [social justice, democracy, women’s rights, rights of minorities] remain relevant today.”
Trent president and vice-chancellor Dr. Leo Goarke said that the museum is a reflection of Trent’s commitment to interdisciplinary, international collaboration and the digital humanities.
“The impressive result of the efforts of Professor Cazorla-Sanchez and his fellow researchers is an online tool which can mobilize knowledge in a way that makes it accessible from around the world,” he said.
Those interested can explore the Virtual Museum for the Spanish Civil War at www.vscw.ca.