Overview

Three institutions that are of particular importance to Basque history and culture form the main subject of this book: the baserria (the Basque farmstead), the cofradía (the fraternity of fishermen) and the txoko (gastronomic society). In this study the three institutions are seen as windows; once we look through these windows, we get an opportunity to see the larger picture – namely the structural components of a rich plebeian culture and moral economy. While the investigation of baserri culture provides insights into Basque rural life and the radical changes that occurred with industrialization, the cofradía allows the reader to see the connection that the Basque Country has with the sea. The third institution, the txoko or sociedad gastronómica, represents a more recent and urban phenomenon and reflects an effort to come to terms with urbanization and the anonymous forms of modern life. The book closes with some reflections on cultures that have been somewhat reluctant to modernize.

Full Product Details

Author:   Andreas Hess
Publisher:   Verlag Peter Lang
Imprint:   Verlag Peter Lang
Edition:   New edition
Weight:   0.300kg
ISBN:  

9783039119080

ISBN 10:   3039119087
Pages:   199
Publication Date:   10 June 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction: From the Critique of Basque Egalitarianism to an Understanding of Reluctant Modernization - `Defending the Home': Moral Economy in the Rural Environment: The Baserria: A `Total Institution' in Historical Perspective - Function and Crisis of the Traditional Baserria - Reluctant Modernization I: The Baserria as an `Exit' Model of Moral Economy - `Working the Waves': The Brotherhood of Fishermen and Moral Economy: The Sea and the Harbour: A Short History of the Cofradia - Function and Crisis of the Cofradia - Reluctant Modernization II: The Cofradia as an Attempt to Facilitate `Voice' - `The Social Bonds of Cooking': Gastronomic Societies and Moral Economy: Origins, Historical Development and Geographical Distribution of the Txoko - Formal Organization, Social Context and Function of the Txoko - Between Homogenization and Differentiation: Basque Cooking and Culinary Culture - Reluctant Modernization III: `Commensality', `Loyalty' and Urban Forms of Life - Conclusion: Reluctant Modernization, Plebeian Culture and Moral Economy in the Basque Country.

Reviews

Andreas Hess examines the ritualized contexts in which a culture shapes people's basic definitions of lifestyle, identity and social allegiance. What sets apart this work is the combination of an almost ethnographic description of the Basque cultural institutions ... and the proposal for a paradigm change in the study of current Basque issues by grounding the analysis squarely on political economy. The results go well beyond the Basque case. (Professor Joseba Zulaika, Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada)

Andreas Hess examines the ritualized contexts in which a culture shapes people's basic definitions of lifestyle, identity and social allegiance. What sets apart this work is the combination of an almost ethnographic description of the Basque cultural institutions ... and the proposal for a paradigm change in the study of current Basque issues by grounding the analysis squarely on political economy. The results go well beyond the Basque case. (Professor Joseba Zulaika, Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada)

Author Information

The Author: Andreas Hess teaches sociology at University College Dublin. His main publications include the authored books American Social and Political Thought: A Concise Introduction (2000) and Concepts of Social Stratification: European and American Models (2001); and the edited books American Social and Political Thought: A Reader (2003) and (with Christian Fleck and E. Stina Lyon) Intellectuals and their Publics: Perspectives from the Social Sciences (2009).

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