Rhythms of struggle : recovery, revival and re-creation of txalaparta in the Basque Country

This dissertation, the first extensive academic work on Txalaparta as a social phenomenon, explores the ongoing revival and construction of this tradition and percussion instrument amid the Basque struggle for self-determination. Based on ethnographic work mainly undertaken from 1998 to 2006 in the capital of the Spanish State, the Basque Country, and Ireland, this thesis examines current constructions of meaning and “reality,” from a broad spectrum approach to the study of performance as well as praxis perspectives within the field of ritual studies. Anarchistic reflections of freedom and general Marxist aspirations, memories of past sovereignty and current dreams of independence, emerge in the commitment of many of those who have engaged, and engage today, with Txalaparta, shaping narratives and practices, and giving way, in particular, to an ongoing project: the making of “music” on a par with the making of nation. In-depth interviews with different Basque artists, including relatives of the old Txalaparta players, Basque ex-prisoners, political rally organizers, and other left wing and independentist Txalaparta players within and outside the so called Basque Movement for National Liberation, as well as fieldwork with Txalaparta groups of different ideological leanings within the left, provide the multiple voices that inform the insight this dissertation intends to provide into processes of national construction and resistance amid conflict by means of expressive culture.