Songs and identity in Welsh Patagonia

James, E. Wyn 2023. Songs and identity in Welsh Patagonia. Studia Ethnologica Pragensia 1/2023 , pp. 85-96.

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Abstract

Over the centuries there have been a number of attempts, for economic, political and religious reasons, to create Welsh settlements overseas. The most successful of these, in terms of longevity at least, and perhaps the best known of all Welsh emigration ventures, was the establishment in 1865 of a Welsh Settlement in Patagonia, in what is now the Province of Chubut in Argentina, where perhaps as many as 5,000 of the inhabitants still speak Welsh fluently or have some ability with the language. The preservation of Welsh identity was central to the Patagonian project, which aimed to create a new Welsh-speaking, self-governing Wales overseas, founded on Christian and democratic principles. From the outset, songs played an important role in fostering the ideals that inspired the founders of the Settlement, ideals that would come progressively under threat as the Argentine government increasingly asserted its authority over the Settlement, promoting Argentinian identity and replacing Welsh with Spanish as the medium of education. This paper gives an overview of the development of the Welsh Settlement in Chubut down to the present day, focussing especially on the role of song in nurturing the dream of the Settlement’s founders.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Welsh
Subjects:	F History United States, Canada, Latin America > F1201 Latin America (General) G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration P Language and Literature > PB Modern European Languages > PB1001 Celtic languages and literature
Publisher:	Institute of Ethnology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague
ISSN:	2336-6699
Related URLs:	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11956/18721...
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	19 January 2024
Date of Acceptance:	18 August 2022
Last Modified:	22 Mar 2024 10:40
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/165685

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