There are stories that, if not documented, disappear. Vocations that, if not told, are forgotten. And professions that, if not projected, become invisible. Preservem la memòria was born to prevent this from happening with Catalan nursing. It is not a project to look back with nostalgia, but a determined commitment to put the past at the service of the future.
In a moment of digital transformation like the one we are experiencing, where knowledge is reconfigured in real time, this initiative by the Official College of Nurses of Barcelona (COIB) wants to make memory a tool for analysis, innovation, and commitment. And it wants to do so from three main pillars: heritage, identity, and community.
Heritage, because it is what we preserve and decide to keep so that it explains who we are. In the case of the nursing profession in Catalonia, this heritage has often suffered difficulties and turbulent times, as some participants relate. Valuing it is fundamental; it is the history of knowledge, the construction of our current identity, and a fundamental and experiential part of our history.
Identity, because it is also understanding that our profession has not been built only within hospital walls or university classrooms. It has taken shape in homes, in neighborhoods, and in contexts of precariousness and struggle. Recognizing this diverse and complex identity is an act of collective sovereignty.
Community, because it is what happens when we stop thinking of knowledge as a closed narrative. Preservem la memòria is committed to a new way of making history: open, collaborative, and participatory. Not to build a static museum, but a constellation of voices that tell us an experiential part of our history.
The nursing profession is not just a technical or care discipline. It is a practice with deep social, cultural, and scientific roots. And its history, still too often invisible, tells us about struggles, vocation, accumulated knowledge, and a fundamental role in the construction of the Catalan health system.
Preserving memory is not living in the past; it is reclaiming it to transform the future.That is whyLet's preserve memoryit is not limited to collecting interviews and documents.Explore new ways of reading and representing the past through digital technologies and innovative methodologies.We are talking about interactive maps, visual constellations, timelines, and other tools designed so that knowledge is not archived, but renewed.
Because preserving memory is not about living in the past; it is about reclaiming it to transform the future. And in this future, nurses, and their legacy, must have their own voice.