The Presence of the Past in a Spanish Village

Alive with the voices of both historical and contemporary villagers, this study of a northern Spanish community shows how the residents of Santa Maria del Monte have acted together at critical times to ensure the survival of their traditional forms of social organization. The survival of these forms has allowed the villagers, in turn, to weather demographic, political, and economic crises over the centuries. Through case studies gathered in the course of fieldwork and textual analysis of local family and council documents, Ruth Behar brings a new level of historicity to ethnography. "That peasant communities struggle over many generations to defend and redefine their traditions is one of the many lessons to be found in Santa Maria del Monte, an impressive foray into historical ethnography." -James S. Amelang, The New York Times Book Review "One should read this book with leisure, to savor the emotive beauty of Ruth Behar's encounter with the enduring way of life of a village in northern Spain. ... [The work] promises to become a classic." -Richard Herr, Agricultural History .. anthropologists, historians, rural sociologists, and students of culture and power have much to draw from this finely textured book." --Gary W. McDonogh, Ethnohistory "This lucidly written and beautifully produced work, which includes stunning photographs taken by the author, deserves a wide circulation among students of European peasantries." -Peter Sahlins, Journal of Social History Ruth Behar is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan.