Collective memory and intergenerational transmission in social movements: The “grandparents’ movement” iaioflautas, the indignados protests, and the Spanish transition

Abstract

The iaioflautas movement, which emerged in the course of the indignados protests in Spain in 2011, is one of the few social movements that explicitly organize around a “grandparents’ identity.” This article analyzes the movement against the historical backdrop of the Spanish transición, in particular the characteristic absence of transitional justice and the pacto del olvido—the ‘pact of oblivion’ regarding the political violence of the civil war and the dictatorship. I argue, first, that the emergence of the movement indicates a general shift in the memory debate in Spain, problematizing the memory of transición itself against the backdrop of the crisis. The iaioflautas organize as active historical witnesses to support the younger protesters’ mobilizations, not least by testifying to their historical legacy, that is the struggle for democracy. They thus draw on the hegemonic transition narrative and reframe it at the same time, echoing the indignados’ slogan “Real Democracy Now.” Second, I show that the iaioflautas’ explicit organization around a generational identity on the one hand re-organizes this generational unit of activists that for long had been cast aside from public memory in Spain, while on the other hand it facilitates intergenerational transmission of collective memory and repertoires of contention within the indignados movement. In addition, the concomitant “family narrative” of generativity, that is, of caring for the younger generations, allows addressing a much broader audience, thus adapting to the constraints of the arena, in avoiding the acerbic political divisions that usually characterize an engagement with historical memory in this particular post-civil-war and post-dictatorship context. Third, the iaioflautas offer an example of “remembering hope,” that is, they pass on their own experiences of solidarity, agency, and democratic opportunities in order to encourage the younger generations’ protest and political imaginary.

(Non-)Politicized Ageism: Exploring the Multiple Identities of Older Activists

“…In advancing such demands, Iaioflautas performs nonviolent civil disobedience [49] through what they call "travesuras"-mischief. These "travesuras" draw from a repertoire of different direct actions, such as demonstrations, marches, occupations, sit-ins, or picketing in public and private spaces [14]. Mirroring the communicational tactics deployed by 15M activists, Iaioflautas members rely on digital media platforms to communicate their claims and disseminate some of their actions and activities [51].…”

“…Born out of the outburst of mobilizations in Spain in 2011 under the umbrella of 15M-also known as the "Indignados" movement-the emergence of Iaioflautas serves as a timely opportunity to assess the relevance of the older identity among its activists. Regarded as an older people's social movement, Iaioflautas publicly discloses its old-age identity to convey the centrality of intergenerational solidarity as its "raison d'être" [13,14].…”

Reconceptualising Exclusion from Civic Engagement in Later Life: Towards a New Research Agenda

“…These include seminal works on older people's institutionalised political activities (e.g. Jirovec and Erich 1992), but also more recent studies addressing older adults' engagement in social movement organisations (Schwarz 2019) or in seniors' interest organisations (Serrat et al 2018). Overall, this line of research helps to counterbalance a prevailing apolitical approach to civic engagement in later life, allowing a more nuanced picture in which older people are not only seen as social actors but also as political agents whose voices must be heard in decisionmaking processes at multiple levels.…”

La movilización de los pensionistas en España como proceso de construcción y aprendizaje de una nueva identidad colectiva

“…Este trabajo analiza empíricamente el proceso de configuración de la identidad colectiva de los pensionistas desde una doble perspectiva: como resultado de estrategias organizativas de movilización y como resultado de aprendizajes individuales durante la experiencia de la protesta. Desde la perspectiva organizativa, las bases identitarias del movimiento se vinculan a los esfuerzos estratégicos de una serie de actores colectivos, como los Yayoflautas, que previamente, durante la Gran Recesión, iniciaron la movilización en torno a la identidad de las personas mayores (Schwarz 2019). En 2013, diversos emprendedores de la protesta inician un proceso de organización para contestar las medidas regresivas adoptadas como parte de las políticas de austeridad.…”