Popular Culture, Identity, and Politics in Contemporary Catalonia

Contributions by Dr Mariann Vaczi, Dr Alessandro Testa, Dr Camila del Mármol, Professor Manuel Delgado, Dr Romina Martínez Algueró, Dr Sarai Martín López, Dr Xavier Roigé, Mireia Guil, Lluís Bellas, Dr Venetia Johannes, Professor Dorothy Noyes Edited by Dr Alessandro Testa, Dr Mariann Vaczi

Publication date:

12 September 2023

Length of book:

196 pages

Publisher

Tamesis Books

Dimensions:

234x156mm

ISBN-13: 9781805430759

Grounded in ethnographic research, this edited collection examines the intersections between grassroots culture, local identities, and the politics of catalanisme and independentisme from the end of the Francoist period to the present day. Through studies of various cultural manifestations including festivals, human tower-building, gastronomy, and bull-runs, chapters explore how civil mobilisation, women's increasing participation in the public sphere, and issues of gentrification and heritagisation have intertwined with identity politics and nationalist trends. An important consideration is how a popular culture centred on sociability responded to the lockdowns and restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. More generally, the book reflects on the politicisation of culture and its role in nation-building, problematising such concepts as 'inclusion', 'integration', 'authenticity', 'belonging', and 'identity'.

Contributors: Lluís Bellas, Camila del Mármol, Manuel Delgado, Mireia Guil, Venetia Johannes, Sarai Martín López, Romina Martínez Algueró, Dorothy Noyes, Xavier Roigé, Alessandro Testa, Mariann Vaczi

List of Illustrations

List of Contributors

Introduction: Culture, Identity, and Politics in Contemporary Catalonia - Mariann Vaczi and Alessandro Testa

1: Castells, Myths, and Allegories of Nation Building - Mariann Vaczi

2: The Ritual Making of Central Catalonia 1: National Identity and the Hanging of the Donkey - Alessandro Testa

3: The Ritual Making of Central Catalonia 2: Comparses and the Dynamics of Inclusive Nationalism - Alessandro Testa

4: Reclaiming the Cathar Past: At the Crossroads between Identity Politics and Tourist Economies in Catalonia - Camila Del Mármol

5: The Heritage of the Humiliated: Popular Resistance in Defense of the "Bous" in the Lands of the Ebro - Manuel Delgado, Romina Martínez Algueró, and Sarai Martín López

6: Communities without Festivities? Community Effects, Transformations, and Conflicts after Covid-19 in Catalonia - Xavier Roigé, Mireia Guil, and Lluís Bellas

7: Bon Profit! Food as National Identity in Catalonia - Venetia Johannes

Afterword: Beneath the Nation: Collective Creation and Civic Need - Dorothy Noyes

Bibliography

Index

Popular Culture, Identity, and Politics in Contemporary Catalonia is an enlightening volume which explores the connections between festivals, traditions, folklore, politics, identity, national character, territory, food and regional diversity. The authors also offer fascinating insights into the everyday life experiences and culture of large swathes of the population who engage with folkloric traditions. ... Overall, this volume offers valuable insights into the Catalan cultural, social and political landscape.