Division for the future of the Center for Contemporary History of Catalonia: new impetus or risk of dilution?

BarcelonaThe Center of Contemporary History of Catalonia (CHCC) was created in March 1984 with the aim of fostering the study and dissemination of historical research. The ambition of Josep Benet, its first director, was to recover above all the memory of the history of Catalanism. Another challenge was to help young researchers and promote the dissemination of their research. When the Museum of History of Catalonia was inaugurated, the CHCC moved to the same building. They shared the space but nothing more.

For a Center of Contemporary History of Catalonia, with a renewed project and future, at the service of the countryFour former presidents of the Generalitat —Jordi Pujol, Artur Mas, Carles Puigdemont and Quim Torra— and two former presidents of the Parlament —Carme Forcadell and Laura Borràs— have joined the manifesto in defense of the Center of Contemporary History of Catalonia (CHCC). The manifesto, titled For a Center of Contemporary History of Catalonia, with a renewed project and future, at the service of the country, began to be disseminated in December 2025 and argues that the CHCC should not only be maintained but should be strengthened as a key tool for the study and dissemination of the contemporary history of Catalonia. Among the signatories are also former heads of the Department of Culture such as Joan Guitart, Ferran Mascarell, Joan Manuel Tresserras, Santi Vila, Lluís Puig and Àngels Ponsa.

Political ups and downs

So far, however, it has not been publicly explained what the transfer to the Museu d'Història de Catalunya entails. Like the Memorial Democràtic, in recent years the CHCC has experienced an erratic life depending on the governments. It was initially linked to the Presidency, and later to Foreign Affairs and Justice. “The transfer to Culture and the integration into the Museu d’Història allow for the resolution of an administrative mismatch and a return to the original logic of the center”, states the director of the Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Jordi Principal. In this regard, he argues that it is not a break: “There would be no discontinuity, but a rectification of this mismatch”. Principal recalls that the center was born as a research body “independent of political fluctuations, from which it has not always been able to free itself, with the will to be rooted in the country and to disseminate knowledge to society”.

The director of the Museu d’Història de Catalunya assures that the integration will allow the resumption of “the initial spirit”. “The change is relevant, but the benefits are sufficiently clear and important, because the center will not lose either its identity or its brand and will continue to have its own budget; it currently has an allocation of 65,000 euros, in addition to chapter 1 relating to personnel, and its own resource management”.

In its origins, the CHCC had developed a very ambitious program for orientation towards research, publication, and dissemination of contemporary history, with the aim of acting as a bridge between the academic world and the public interested in history. This function was materialized in conferences, courses, publications, and outreach activities that sought to bring historical research closer to citizens. Principal intends to resume it and to reinforce, above all, the incorporation of young researchers who conduct research and to help with the dissemination and publication of their findings.

Even so, the signatories of the manifesto fear that it will lose autonomy and the capacity to define its own research and commemoration policy. "This integration could transform the center into an appendix of the museum," assures historian Josep Maria Roig i Rosich, who directed the CHCC between 2008 and 2011. "When I took over as director, the commemoration policy was a bit erratic and I fought hard to take charge of this task, but this responsibility was also lost in 2010 with the change of government," assures Roig i Rosich. "All museums have a research center, but the scope of work is not the same as a center for the study of history," states the historian, who also fears that Josep Benet's library, which is very powerful and highly specialized in the history of Catalanism, will be diluted with the museum's library.

"The Josep Benet Library has been a shared library since 2010 and we will strengthen and energize it. It is a first-class specialized library," defends Principal. "The CHCC must gain muscle, open up more, and gain projection," adds the director of the Museu d’Història de Catalunya. "It will continue to retain its brand, with its own budget; it will also have an advisory council, and an executive management that will correspond to the direction of the MHC, with which it will share strategies," says Principal. "The Center provides documentation, research, and historical context; the Museum provides narrative capacity, public experience, and social projection. At a time when museums have transformed into active spaces for knowledge production, complementarity between research and dissemination becomes essential, and the Museu d'Història de Catalunya is a benchmark example," assures the director of Patrimoni, Joaquim Borràs.