71150 - Basque Language and Culture

Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student is able to understand and explain historical, geographical and social contents of Basque language and culture. Knows the critical tools best suited to contextualize, analyze and comment on literary texts and documents of various kinds, and to relate the most significant changes related to the fields of cultural reference.

Course contents

0. INTRODUCTION.
Basic knowledge of geography, demography and administrative organization.
Sociolinguistics. Euskara today.
1.THE ORIGINS.
1.1. An European mystery.
1.2. Between myth and reality. Euskara to the Middle Ages.
2. SOME KNOWLEDGE OF EUSKARA.
2.1. General characteristics of the language.
2.2. Greetings and presentation in Euskara.
3. EUSKARA JALGI ADI PLAZARA. The first literature.
3.1 From 600 to 800.
3.2 The oral literature.
4. BETWEEN TWO CENTURIES. From 800 to 900.
4.1. The old and new ideologies. Carlism, socialism, nationalism.
4.2. The "renaissance" of culture. From the Euskal JAIAK to the Euskaltzaindia.
5. FRANDCO AND TRANSITION.
5.1. From the Civil War to the Basque conflict.
5.2. Euskara batua. The standard language.
5.3. The birth of modern literature and schools in Euskara.
5.4. The new Basque song.
6. EUSKAL HERRIA GAUR.
6.1 Rock Radical Vasco and current music.
6.2. The socio-political context today.
6.3. The literature.
7. BASQUE CONFLICT AND LITERATURE.
7.1. Authors and texts.
7.2. Conference of Harkaitz Cano.
7.3. Conference of Mikel Ayerbe.
7.4. Conference of Antonio Altarriba.

Readings/Bibliography

- SAIZARBITORIA, Ramon. Cento metri. Memoranda Edizioni, 1985 (ask the professor)

- Choose one:

CIRULLI, Adriano. L'ascia e il serpente. Datanews, 2012.

BOTTI, Alfonso. La questione basca. Mondadori, 2003.

- Choose two:

AYERBE, Mikel. Our wars. Paperback, 2012 (in english). AYERBE, Mikel.Nuestras guerras. Lengua de trapo, 2014 (in spanish)

ATXAGA, Bernardo. Il libro di mio fratello. Einaudi, 2003.

CANO, Harkaitz. Twist. Seix Barral, 2013. (in spanish)

URRETABIZKAIA, Arantxa. Quaderno rosso. Gran Via, 2008.

ZALDUA, Iban. Avvenire. Gran Via, 2005.

- Choose one:

(Scaricabile da: http://www.etxepareinstitutua.net/etxepare_argitalpenak/ )

In euskara, english ans spanish.

IGARTUA, Iban/ ZABALTZA, Xabier. Euskararen historia laburra. A Brief History of the Basque Language. Etxepare Euskal Institutua, 2012.
EZKERRA, Estibaliz. XX. Mendeko euskal literatura. Basque literature in the Xxth century. Etxepare Euskal Institutua, 2012.

URTUSAGA, Eskisabel. Euskal kantagintza. Basque songwriting. Etxepare Euskal Institutua, 2012.

Teaching methods

Lectures with student participation.
Vision and critical reading materials related to Basque culture.

Assessment methods

Final oral examination.

Office hours

See the website of Inaki Alfaro Vergarachea