From dictatorship to democracy: history of education in Spain

In a book published in 1995 providing an overview on the state of the art in European educational historiography in Europe, Marie-Madeleine Compère referring to post-Franco Spain, emphasised the “dynamism” and “the capacity to mobilise” that had arisen among Spanish researchers by “any collective initiative.” Moving on, this article intends to clarify: a) to what extent Compère is right; and b) what caused the changes in the Spanish educational historiography during the last four decades. It also deals with some of the prevailing trends and issues facing this academic and scientific field today.