The (no) return of the political emigré Julián Gorkin: problem of the historio - graphical insertion of the Spanish Republican exiles

Abstract

The article analyses the question of Julián Gorkin’s (no) return to Spain and considers his particular case as illustration of the Spanish exiles legacy and its place in the historiography. Evaluating Gorkin’s modest public impact during the Spanish democratic transition, we point to the fact that it was both an outcome of his exile and most complex political causes. Studying Gorkin’s marginalization leads us to the methodological reflection on the necessity to study the Spanish exile as free from any artificial assessments that take into account «the paradigm of the interior» only. In our conclusion we claim that conceptual reflection together with interdisciplinary approach and incorporation of the international dimension to the study of the Anti-Francoism, should become precondition in any scientific research if it is to contribute to rethinking of the Spanish political and cultural legacy of the Postwar Period.