ABSTRACT
In fact, the collective memory of workers' struggles acts as a source of pride, basis for collective representations, links in a historical chain and arguments for criticism of the present. When cultural creativity refers to the collective memory constructed of work, it is often understandable to a broad audience that shares the same representations. Representations focused on the industrial past and work-related memory are abundant and occupy an important place in the Asturian cultural production. The richness of the artistic and monumental acquis that left its footprints in Asturias from prehistory to the Middle Ages overshadowed industrial heritage, making valuing it more difficult. Located on the north coast of Spain and populated by just over one million inhabitants, Asturias has been one of the focuses of Spanish industrialization, after Catalonia and the Basque Country. In perspective, the strength of the working-class movement did not prevent de-industrialization, but it ensured many public funds that softened immediate social effects.
