In the death of the geographer Yves Lacoste (1929 - 2026)

Climent Picornell — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:42:26 +0000

When I began my Geography studies at the University of Barcelona, in the late sixties, the discipline was undergoing a profound transformation. The mnemonic geography of rivers, mountain ranges, and capitals was starting to give way to a much more critical way of understanding the territory. Already having finished my degree, in that intellectual environment, Horacio Capel was probably the one who introduced me to Yves Lacoste. Or, at least, the one who made me understand that this French geographer was changing the way of looking at the world. I was not his student in Paris. I was a disciple of his books. I still remember the impact that reading La géographie, ça sert, d’abord, à faire la guerre (Geography serves, first and foremost, to wage war) had on me. The title seemed like a provocation, but it hid a fundamental idea: geographical knowledge has always been a tool of power. Governments, armies, and empires have used maps to administer, control, and conquer territories, while in schools an apparently innocent geography was taught, reduced to the description of landscapes.

Francoism does not appear in the History curricula for ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) under the LOMLOE (Organic Law for the Modification of the Organic Law on the Right to Education).

ARA Balears — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:49:31 +0000

The Franco regime does not appear in the LOMLOE secondary school history curriculum. Nor is there a specific section in the basic knowledge curriculum that refers to this period. It is absent from the new curriculum introduced by the PP government this year, and it was also absent from the previous Pacte government curriculum. The reason is that the state decree implementing the curriculum does not place the Franco regime in secondary school, but rather introduces it in upper secondary school (Bachillerato). This fact, therefore, opens the door for a student to complete compulsory education without ever encountering the dictatorship.

Ara Balears in English - geography

In the death of the geographer Yves Lacoste (1929 - 2026)

Francoism does not appear in the History curricula for ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) under the LOMLOE (Organic Law for the Modification of the Organic Law on the Right to Education).