Miquel de Moragas donates his documentary collection to the Communication Library and General Newspaper Archives

"To interpret communication is to interpret society and the human condition."

The event began with a summary starting in the 1970s, when Moragas began to compile his correspondence with researchers from all over the world and to preserve their writings, a task that today has resulted in a collection that is impressive for its richness and rigour. This archive is a faithful reflection of his methodical approach and strategic vision. Beyond its documentary value, it is an example of his tireless passion for communication, sports and humanistic thought. The dean of the faculty, Juanjo Perona, and researcher of the Institute of Communication (InCom-UAB) Marta Civil remarked the decisive influence of Professor Moragas in constructing his own narrative for the communication sector in Catalonia. "Behind every great faculty there are great women and great men. And Miquel de Moragas is, without a doubt, one of the most distinguished of them", said Civil.

The meeting took the format of a conversation between Professor Enric Marín and Moragas himself, which allowed for a personal and academic review of a career of more than 55 years linked to the UAB. The act of institutional recognition was filled with reflections and historical memory.

“Perhaps the only success I have had in life has been to trust the University from the beginning to the end,” Moragas said in one of his interventions. “To interpret communication is to interpret society and the human condition”, he added, and he appealed to the need to maintain a humanist approach in times of digitisation and artificial intelligence.

During the event, the fundamental role of Moragas in the founding and development of the Faculty of Communication Studies, of which he was dean on two occasions, and also in institutions such as InCom-UAB, the Spanish Association of Communication Research (AE-IC), and the Centre for Olympic Studies (CEO-UAB), of which he was founder and first director, was highlighted.

“The importance of the faculty is the importance of Miquel”, said Professor Enric Marín, and remarked that the recent book on the history of the faculty would not have been possible without the “immense documentation” preserved by Moragas. “This fund is a fundamental document in terms of university resources, but also as a national resource,” he said.

In his speech, Moragas went over the roots and transformations of the study of communication in Catalonia, from its beginnings at the School of Journalism of the Catholic Church - an alternative to the official models of the Franco regime - to the consolidation of its own critical and interdisciplinary model at the University. “We created a library from scratch, with a chair, a table and a pen... but with a clear idea: to interpret society through communication,” he said, and recalled with emotion the initial impulse of this documentation centre, today recognised as one of the most important in southern Europe.

He also highlighted relevant pieces from its collection, such as documents from the legacy of the historian Joan Culla and the AE-IC archive, or materials from projects such as the semiotic study of the Barcelona subway and his collaborations with local television stations.

The incorporation of the collection has been possible thanks to the meticulous work conducted by the team of the Communication Library and General Newspaper Archives (BCHG). Teresa Santos, former head of the BCHG Collection, and Marta Rial, current head, explained that 700 documents were incorporated in two parts: a first part from the personal library (2019) and a second from the professional archive (2025).

“These private libraries are not only a collection of books, but also fragments of life that reveal intellectual trajectories and professional commitments”, said Teresa Santos, and stressed the human value of these collections.

“These collections only acquire full meaning when they become living tools for teaching and research,” added Marta Rial, and encouraged the academic community to make use of them.

The event was closed by Virginia Luzón, vice-rector of Communication at the UAB, who defined Moragas as “a modern renaissance man” and highlighted his “loyalty, vision and legacy” in the university environment. She announced that the fund will now form part of the collective heritage of the UAB and remarked on its capacity to “transform lives”.

The event ended with a guided tour of the collection and a glass of cava to celebrate the beginning of a new stage for this valuable legacy, which will be preserved for future generations of researchers and students.