Acknowledgements

Blasco, Pilar Diarte

doi:10.2307/j.ctvh1dkqh.4

Cited by 1 publication

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“…6)? Nevertheless, the role of the wild “Other” was better served during the Late Empire by human groups from beyond the Danube and the Rhine upon whom Roman authors imposed their own constructs of “savagery” (Martínez 2015: 49; Diarte-Blasco 2018: 132). In comparison, the peoples of the Western Pyrenees, whose ruling elites had wholeheartedly embraced the ideals and lifestyles of the Romans and who had been compliant subjects since the conquest, no longer fit this narrative.…”

Section: The Birth Of An Interpretative Repertoire In Antiquitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goth. 63, 10; Diarte-Blasco, 2018: 53–56) – created a self-perpetuating cycle. But, in ideological terms, this discourse of alterity against the Vascones attained two invaluable goals for the self-legitimation of Gothic and Frankish kings: it created an incomparable platform for their claims as representatives of order against chaos and, simultaneously, it granted the perfect rationale for their political and military activities in this strategically important border region.…”

Section: The Creation Of a Discourse Of Inferiority In Late Antiquitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Power and alterity: Depictions of the Vascones from antiquity to the middle ages

Aguirresarobe

2024

Soc. sci. hist.

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This article undertakes an examination of the origins and evolution of a discourse of alterity against the Vascones –the alleged forefathers of the Basques – and other Western Pyrenean peoples from Antiquity to the Middle Ages. The methodology employed involves the study of literary references made to these peoples, which are then compared to recent scholarly and archeological evidence. Through this analysis, it becomes possible to evaluate the accuracy of these mentions and interpret them within their specific historical context. The results of this research indicate that mentions of the Vascones during this timeframe were mainly polemic in nature and lacked substantial grounding in empirical reality. Instead, it seems that the underlying objective of these narratives of alterity was twofold: to enhance the social and political standing of their authors and to support their claims to political control over the Western Pyrenees. The abandonment of these interpretative repertoires during the tenth century, coinciding with the emergence of the kingdom of Pamplona and the county-duchy of Wasconia, further emphasizes the connection between the display of these tropes and imbalances in political power between the region and its neighbors. The conclusions of this article directly challenge the underpinnings of discourses that depict the ancient Vascones as entirely alien to the political and religious paradigms derived from the Roman and Christian traditions. In so doing, it thus confront narratives about these “ancient Basques” that are prevalent in contemporary Basque cultural production.

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Section: The Birth Of An Interpretative Repertoire In Antiquitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Creation Of a Discourse Of Inferiority In Late Antiquitymentioning

confidence: 99%