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Just inland from the high-rise hotels and tourist beaches of Marbella and the Costa del Sol rise the mountains of the Serrania de Ronda. It is a region of great natural beauty and picturesque villages clinging to spectacular crags; vast forests of cork-oaks; smallholdings struggling to survive along the riverbanks. Here the ancient rhythms of Spanish rural life the leisurly evening "paseo", the annual cycle of feast days and holy processions, and, above all, the bullfight. Alastair Boyd lived in the region for 20 years. This book is a celebration of the unique character and beauty of the Andalusian hinterland, but it has wider implications. Has this mountainous community the will and the capacity to preserve its human scale and diversity? For how long can this latter-day Arcadia resist the advance of conformity and indiscriminate development? And do the Arcadians themselves want to resist it?
This work investigates whether the traditional, human-scaled rural communities of the Andalusian mountains can maintain their unique cultural identity against the encroaching pressures of modern development and conformity. Alastair Boyd, drawing upon two decades of residency in the Serrania de Ronda, utilizes a blend of personal observation, cultural history, and sociological inquiry to examine the tension between ancient agrarian rhythms and the rapid expansion of coastal tourism. The text functions as both a celebration of a specific regional landscape and a critical inquiry into the sustainability of traditional lifestyles in the face of indiscriminate modernization.
What You Will Find
This text offers a dense, observational account of a specific Spanish region, providing a nuanced look at the intersection of geography and cultural preservation. The framing suggests an accessible yet deeply informed perspective suitable for readers interested in the intersection of travel writing and regional sociology.
Page Count:
470
Publication Date:
1994-01-01
Publisher:
Flamingo
ISBN-10:
0006545912
ISBN-13:
9780006545910
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