Rescreening history from below: Spanish women’s participation in the empire’s project in Morocco: Love in Times of War

Abstract

Screening history often marginalizes those designated as ‘inferior’ or ‘other’, including women, by prioritizing dominant narratives. In Spain, women’s contributions to national history, especially in the context of the nation’s colonial history, were often systematically overlooked. Feminist historiography has sought to challenge this exclusion by rewriting history from below to amplify marginalized voices. This article examines the Spanish TV series Morocco: Love in Times of War (Tiempos de Guerra) (2017) as a cultural text that revisits Spain’s war and colonization of Morocco, highlighting the role of Spanish nurses as active participants in these events. By portraying their struggles, contributions and agency, the series attempts a revision of history, foregrounding women’s agency. However, this effort is undermined by the series’ alignment with colonial narratives that silence Moroccan voices. While it successfully amplifies the role of Spanish nurses, it neglects the agency and experiences of Moroccans, perpetuating the same discursive practices and representations of colonial projects. This selective rescreening of history reveals a failure to address historical erasures comprehensively, complicating the series’ attempt to rescreen history from below. The analysis concludes that Morocco: Love in Times of War simultaneously challenges and reinforces historical silences, offering a partial revision that privileges one marginalized group while continuing to silence another.