This paper presents the results of a research project carried out in Portomarín, a small town in Galicia (Spain), which was flooded as a result of the construction of a dam in 1963. A new town was built a short distance away, but a strong sense of rootlessness remains among the inhabitants of the town. To what extent does the population of Portomarín recognise its memory regarding the forced removal as heritage? What means can be employed to incorporate the historical process of the forced removal into its identity? How can heritage education contribute towards the population overcoming these feelings of rootlessness? The inhabitants’ conceptions of their forced removal were identified, and an educational activity was implemented in the town’s school regarding the process of the removal. The hypothesis is confirmed that a community that does not foster intergenerational dialogue about its past (which in this case was traumatic) and does not develop its own strategy to assist in explaining and understanding its local history does not construct a shared identity.

Human intervention and social practices have been pivotal for the creation of sacred spaces; indeed, the mobility of human beings has endowed spaces with meaning through religious cultural products. Progressive human intervention in holy places has turned them into monumental spaces, where cultural heritage has become a symbol of identity and the space has assumed the values of the culture that produced it. In this paper, we investigate the value of heritage along pilgrimage routes, as in the case of the Way of St. James. The sacred-monumental space works according to the system of artistic and cultural elements that define it as an integrated system. We will focus on the twentieth-century rediscovery of the Way in Spain, on the processes of monumental reinterpretation that culminated in its declaration, in 1987, as ‘First European Cultural Route’ by the Council of Europe, and as ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’, in 1993.

Estudio exploratorio en el que se identifican las concepciones del profesorado gallego sobre el patrimonio y la forma en que se trabaja en el aula. Participan en el estudio 76 docentes en activo de las etapas de infantil, primaria y secundaria, pertenecientes a 20 centros educativos de la provincia de A Coruña (Galicia). Para la recogida de información se diseña un cuestionario con nueve preguntas abiertas. Los datos se analizan a través de ocho categorías que se subdividen en variables, creadas a partir de las respuestas obtenidas y teniendo en cuenta estudios similares. Los resultados más relevantes muestran: a) falta de correspondencia entre investigación y enseñanza, b) cierta aleatoriedad en el diseño y la implementación de actividades de educación patrimonial. El estudio apunta hacia varias direcciones en las que parece deseable avanzar para la mejora en ámbito de la educación patrimonial: institucionalización, formación continua, investigación e innovación y comunidades de aprendizaje en torno a la educación patrimonial.

Santiago de Compostela is an iconic place. From the 9th century through to the present day the city has acted as the final destination of a major pilgrimage route named after it. In the article we ask ourselves how the contemporary reinvention of the pilgrimage and pilgrimages on the Way of St. James has boosted tourism development in the city. Development has been concentrated in the historic city centre and in the area around the cathedral. The importance of tourism has transformed the significance of the city itself, which acquires a magical component as a place of arrival and encounter for all kinds of visitors. The historic city has been set up in the 20th century as a destination for the Way and for cultural tourism. The buildings, particularly those connected with the pilgrimage route, become highly attractive and symbolic places and tourists carry out a number of rituals in them. They travel and enjoy Santiago as a unique experience. The study of tourism and of the tourist transformation of Santiago de Compostela is undertaken using a qualitative and quantitative method. The article analyses the heritage and symbolic value of the historic centre, together with the growth of its tourism activities. Numerical data are also provided on the perceptions and behaviour of visitors using surveys carried out by the city's Tourism Observatory.

RESUMEN Se presentan resultados de un estudio realizado en las universidades españolas de Murcia y Santiago de Compostela, para examinar las percepciones y conocimientos sobre educación histórica de profesorado de primaria en formación. Se han obtenido datos estadísticamente significativos que permiten un diagnóstico sobre la competencia profesional de los futuros docentes de educación primaria. Se justifica la pertinencia de haber utilizado una metodología cuantitativa para un estudio exploratorio. Los resultados apuntan a que la mayoría de los participantes se identifican, formalmente, con un modelo de profesor crítico, que debe utilizar métodos activos de enseñanza y promover valores éticos relacionados con la justicia social. Esta posición formal contrasta a) con sus modelos implícitos, mucho más tradicionales en sus concepciones teóricas y metodológicas; y b) con su selección de contenidos y prácticas para lograr una educación coherente con el modelo formalmente asumido. En las conclusiones se sugiere la necesidad de mejorar la formación de profesores vinculándola más directamente con las prácticas en las aulas de primaria. Se propone reflexionar sobre la práctica desde la práctica, conectándola a la formación teórica, como modelo para formar maestros competentes.

La educación patrimonial en el ámbito formal no suele incorporar las vivencias de las personas. Entrar en contacto con una comunidad que vive en conflicto con su patrimonio ofrece otra comprensión de ese legado. Para constatarlo, se ha realizado un estudio con un grupo de maestros en formación, de educación primaria. Se establecieron dos subgrupos para comprobar si la inmersión de uno de ellos en un espacio donde el patrimonio es una cuestión incómoda modifica sus percepciones sobre cómo enfocar la educación patrimonial (grupo experimental), frente al otro que no tiene esa experiencia (grupo de control). Se ha estudiado la localidad de Portomarín (Lugo), anegada en 1963 por un embalse, reconstruida con traslado de algunas arquitecturas y obligada a revisar su historia local y su identificación patrimonial. Se han utilizado métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos para analizar cambios de percepciones y diferencias discursivas entre quienes tuvieron contacto con el escenario de referencia y los que no. Los resultados parecen confirmar que la aproximación a un contexto problemático desarrolla la capacidad de empatía y argumentación crítica del futuro docente, y modifica su consideración sobre cómo enfocar su práctica profesional. Formal heritage education does not usually incorporate people’s experiences. Coming into contact with a community which lives in continual conflict with its own heritage offers a different perspective of that legacy. In order to verify this, a study was carried out with a group of trainee primary education teachers. Two subgroups were formed, one of which (the experimental group) was immersed in a place with an uncomfortable heritage issue in order to ascertain whether their perceptions were modified in comparison to the other group (the control group), which did not have this experience. The study was carried out in the town of Portomarín (Lugo), which was flooded in 1969 due to the construction of a dam and rebuilt on higher ground with some buildings being transferred brick by brick. As part of this process, the residents of the town were forced to revise their local history and their identification with their own heritage. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to analyse changes in perceptions and differences in discourse between those who came into contact with the area in question and those who did not. The results appear to confirm that contact with a problematic context develops the capacity for empathy and critical argumentation of trainee teachers and modifies their idea of how to approach the practice of their profession.