Catalonia's Human Towers - Castells, Cultural Politics, and the Struggle toward the Heights (Hardcover)

The building of human towers (castells) is a centuries-old competitive practice where hundreds of men, women, and children gather in Catalan squares to create breathtaking edifices through a feat of collective athleticism. The result is a great spectacle of suffering and overcoming, tension and release. Catalonia's Human Towers is an ethnographic look at the thriving castells practice—a symbol of Catalan cultural heritage and identity amid debates around autonomy versus subsummation by the Spanish state. While the main function of building castells is to grow community through a low-cost, intergenerational, and inclusive leisure activity, Mariann Vaczi reveals that this unique sport also provides a social base, image, and vocabulary for the pro-independence movement. Highlighting the intersection of folklore, performance, and self-determination, Catalonia's Human Towers captures the subtle and unconscious processes by which the body becomes politicized and ideology becomes embodied, with all the risks and precarities of collective constructions.

General

Imprint:	Indiana University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	September 2023
Authors:	Mariann Vaczi
Dimensions:	229 x 152mm (L x W)
Format:	Hardcover - Paper over boards
Pages:	280
ISBN-13:	978-0-253-06715-9
Categories:	Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Myths & mythology Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Sports & outdoor recreation > Active outdoor pursuits > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Anthropology > Social & cultural anthropology > General Books > History > European history > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > Myths & mythology
LSN:	0-253-06715-4
Barcode:	9780253067159

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!