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Catalonia - Feature Essays
Leading up to the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, we invited accomplished scholars, writers, and researchers to contribute essays about Catalonia’s history and culture.
Immigration Stories
“My Goodness We Were Hungry!” An Immigrant’s Voyage to Catalonia
By Meritxell Martín-Pardo
Between the early 1950s and 1975, Catalonia’s population increased by 2,222,812 people. At thirteen years old, Maria Àngels Córdoba was one of them.
A Multilingual Catalonia
By Maria Carme Junyent
In just a few years around the 2000s, over a million people from all around the world arrived in Catalonia—and with them, they brought their languages.
How to Become Catalan
By Pablo Giori
“When they hear you speaking Catalan, no one doubts it anymore.” Ting and Souley’s families came from China and the Gambia, respectively, but they both strongly feel Catalan.
Traditional & Contemporary Life
Tales of the Turpentine Makers of Catalonia
By Meritxell Martín-Pardo
Emilia Llorens recalls peddling herbal remedies across Catalonia to preserve the traditional lifestyle of their valley.
“We Were Trained to Be Democrats”: The Power of Montserrat
By Meritxell Martín-Pardo
For over one thousand years, Montserrat and its community have shaped Catalonia. Here are the experiences of Daniel Mestre, former choir boy and current orchestra conductor.
Conviviality in Catalonia
By A. F. Robertson
Food and drink play a fundamental role in the festive events in Mieres, Catalonia, creating and sustaining social interaction and rebuilding a sense of community.
History
Transformations in Catalan Culture
By Pablo Giori
In broad terms, we could say that there have been three major transformations in Catalan culture over the past 150 years.
Catalonia: A Welcoming Plaza, a Cohesive Society
By Vicenç Villatoro
If the city is a group of homes, each with its own specific things, then the plaza is the things we share. The size of this plaza varies, but there has to be some public space to ensure social cohesion.
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