The first in-depth yet accessible introduction to Galician history and culture for both lay and specialized readers.Of all the differentiated regions comprising contemporary Spain, Galicia is possibly the most deeply marked by political, economic and cultural inequities throughout the centuries. Possibly due to the absence of a nationally awarelocal bourgeoisie and the enduringly colonial structures informing Spanish-Galician economic and cultural relations, processes of national construction in the region have been patchily successful. However, Galicia's cultural distinctness is easily recognisable to the observer, from the language spoken in the region---the contemporary variant of old Galician-Portuguese---to the specific forms of the Galician built landscape, with its unique mixture of indigenous, imported and hybrid elements. The present volume offers English-language readers an in-depth introduction to the integral aspects of Galician cultural history, from pre-historical times to the present day. Whilst attention is given to the traditional areas of medieval culture, language, contemporary history and politics, the book also privileges compelling contemporary perspectives on cinema, architecture, the city of Santiago de Compostela and the urban qualities of Galician culture today. Helena Miguélez-Carballeira is a Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Bangor University, and Director of the Centre for Galician Studies in Wales.

ContributorsAcknowledgementsAn Introduction to Galician Culture - Helena Miguélez-CarballeiraPriests, Troubadours and Damsels: Galician Literature and Written Culture during the Middle Ages - Santiago Gutiérrez GarcíaContemporary Galicia: From Agrarian Crisis to High-Speed Trains - Xosé Ramón VeigaSantiago de Compostela: Fact and Fetish - María LiñeiraThe Galician Language in the Twenty-First Century - Bernadette O'RourkeBagpipes, Bouzoukis and Bodhráns: The Reinvention of Galician Folk Music - José ColmeiroGalician Architecture: From Foundations to Roof - Xurxo Ayán VilaCinema in Galicia: Beyond an Interrupted History - Xan Gómez ViñasThe Rural, Urban and Global Spaces of Galician Culture - María ReimóndezRosalía de Castro: Life, Work and Afterlife - Helena Miguélez-CarballeiraContemporary Galician Politics: The End of a Cycle? - Noa Rios BergantinhosIndex