Cristina Flores Moreno, vice-rector for Lifelong Learning and University Extension, inaugurated the International Congress 'Echoes of Sagasta: new perspectives on historical analysis'. The event, organised by the Práxedes Mateo-Sagasta Foundation, the University of La Rioja, and the HICOS research group (History: Iconography, Concepts and Symbols), is taking place at the Centro de Cultura del Rioja (CCR) in Logroño from 28 to 30 October.
The congress gathers researchers from both Spanish and international universities to discuss the key political, social, economic, and cultural processes that shaped 19th-century Spain. The sessions will be open to the public.
This initiative references the career of Práxedes Mateo-Sagasta, a politician born in Torrecilla en Cameros, who played a significant role in contemporary Spanish history. The study period spans from 1854, when he began his political and parliamentary career during the Progressive Biennium, until his death in January 1903, during the early years of King Alfonso XIII's reign. This era witnessed crucial events for the consolidation of the liberal system, including the end of Queen Isabella II's reign, the Democratic Six Years, and the Restoration.
However, the congress does not solely focus on Sagasta; it aims to provide a broader historiographical review with transnational and comparative approaches that contextualise the Spanish experience alongside other European and American contexts.
Three days of debate and research
The programme commenced on Wednesday, 28 October, at 9:00 AM with the registration of participants, followed by the opening session titled 'The Sagastinian Era: towards a revision of 19th-century Spain' at 9:30 AM. The initial sessions, starting at 10:00 AM, are dedicated to foreign relations, overseas territories, and comparative history, featuring contributions from Manuel Suárez Cortina of the University of Cantabria, Alain J. Santos Fuentes of the University of the Basque Country and Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, Igor Goicovic Donoso of the University of Santiago de Chile, and Enrique Rodríguez Pereda of the University of Cantabria.
