The Presence of the Past in a Spanish Village
Based on fieldwork from 1978 to 1981 in a small village in northern Spain, this is a well-written study of the role of the past in the lives of the people of Santa Maria del Monte. Both documents and case studies are used as source materials, resulting in a multifaceted historical ethnography that reconstructs aspects of the villagers' lives, including family and community, the rural landscape, the house (both architecturally and familial relationships), and social organization. Behar captures well the sense of the past and its presence in village life, and her attention to the role of the written word is uncommon in cultural anthropology studies of this kind. The epilogue, written after a three years' absence, records significant changes in village life. An engrossing study for cultural anthropology and Hispanic studies collections. Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.