To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Spanish Civil War, which culminated in the Battle of the Ebro, the Faculty of Humanities will dedicate the 2nd Conference on Historical Studies to this event. 

The aim is to resume the analysis of war and peace, with a critical look at the history of violence and also pacifism, in efforts to draw upon the perspective of all victims and realise the hope of introducing peace into international law.

PROGRAMME

9.00 – 9.30 a.m. Greeting and introduction 

9.30 – 10.15 a.m. Opening lecture: “Critical Reflection on the Battle of the Ebro: Causes and Consequences”, by Dr Josep Maria Solé i Sabaté, from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 

10.15 – 10.30 a.m. Debate 

10.30 – 11.00 a.m. Break (breakfast) 

11.00 – 11.30 a.m. Lecture: “George Orwell and War: A Critique of Pacifism”, with Dr Oriol Quintana, from IQS-Ramon Llull University 

11.30 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. Lecture: “The Justification of Violence in Marxism-Leninism: From Theoretical Reflection to State Violence”, with Dr Xavier Baró, lecturer at UIC-Barcelona 

12.00 – 12.10 p.m. Break 

12.10 – 12.40 p.m. Lecture: “The History of Peace vs. the History of War: Neutrality, Impartiality, Objectivity”, by Dr Xavier Garí, lecturer at UIC-Barcelona 

12.40 – 1.20 p.m. Concluding conference: “Peace as a Human Right”, by Carlos Villán Durán, former employee of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and lecturer at the University of Alcalá and the UPV/EHU.

1.20 – 2.00 p.m. Debate and final conclusions

With support from the Institute for Catalan Studies’ Catalan Society for Historical Studies and Catalan Society for Legal Studies.