Movilidades y reproducción patrimonial e identitaria en celebraciones festivas rurales del Pirineo navarro, España

Abstract

The social and economic sustainability of rural territories largely depends on the possibilities offered by the mobility of the actors involved: daily commuting, bi-residential strategies, commercial supplies, and tourist flows. In this respect, the interconnection between rural and urban spheres is particularly significant and gives rise to hybrid socio-spatial realities, whose articulation is key in processes of social change. The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between different forms of mobility and the celebration of a set of festive events in depopulated territories, within the framework of mountain rurality, specifically in the Pyrenean valleys of Aezkoa, Salazar, and Roncal, in the region of Navarre (Spain). These events have not only multiplied in recent years but also hold considerable relevance as elements of vindication, identity cohesion, and tourist promotion. Thus, we study the interplay between mobility, festive events, and territorial sustainability, considering how both organization and celebration involve permanent residents, non-permanent residents, visitors, and economic actors who may or may not belong to the respective territories. The methodological strategy involves a qualitative approach, using techniques such as documentary collection and analysis, observation, and twenty-two semi-structured interviews with key informants and experts from the region. This approach offers a novel perspective by incorporating mobility processes into the analysis of rural territorial transformation. It acknowledges the importance of redefining places, spatialities, and identities, moving away from static perspectives. This becomes particularly evident through the organization and celebration of festive events in which social actors with different types of mobility and connection to the territory contribute to the production and reproduction of local identities and heritage.

Keywords

• culture
• heritage
• identity
• mobility
• rural festive events