https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9717-2383
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SUMMARY
The following paper explores the funerary epigraphy of contemporary Galician rural societies to contextualise it within social, historical, and linguistic dynamics. This hypothesis suggests an apparently contradictory record, with diverse primary sources offering apparently conflicting versions of the same process: while funerary memorials show an absolute predominance of Castilian as the vehicular language, sociolinguistic and historical studies suggest an absolute predominance of Galician. Considering these contextual discordances, different questions arise: how are these ambiguous contexts generated? Is it a methodological problem or are they real representations of ambivalent social dynamics? How can we identify them and in what kind of social processes? Accordingly, this work develops a twofold approach: firstly, an analytical methodology that collects relevant data from epigraphic evidence is provided, aiming to expose the funerary record and identify possible contextual ambiguities in relation to other available sources. All analytical procedures will be described, and the results obtained will be presented. Moreover, a broad historical and sociolinguistic perspective is presented, with the aim of contextualising what dynamics define and explain this apparently contradictory phenomenon. Secondly, a discussion about the problems of these discordances, their relationship with the discourses of power, and their analysis from the material register has been considered. Different theoretical and methodological approaches are explored to study these ambiguous records, considering their role in different power relations. The main objective is to reflect on how we approach ambiguous records in order to provide terminological tools to understand material and social contexts entangled in power dynamics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr Tamara Barreiro Neira for reviewing and proofreading the text, and Drs Alfredo González-Ruibal and Nerea Terceiro Sanmartín for their insightful comments. I am also very grateful for the suggestions of the anonymous reviewers, which have undoubtedly improved the final version of the text.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
SUMMARY
ABSTRACT
O seguinte artigo analiza a epigrafía funeraria das sociedades contemporáneas da Galicia rural coa intención de contextualizala nas súas dinámicas sociais, históricas e lingüísticas. O presente traballo suxire a existencia dun rexistro aparentemente contradictorio, con distintas fontes primarias que ofrecen visións opostas dun mesmo proceso: mentres os epígrafes funerarios amosan un total e absoluto predominio do castelán como lingua vehicular, os estudos sociolingüísticos e históricos suxiren un absoluto predominio do galego na mesma zona de estudo. Atendendo a estas discordancias contextuais, é preciso reflexionar sobre distintos aspectos: ¿como se xeraron estas ambigüidades contextuais? ¿Forman parte dunha problemática metodolóxica ou representan dinámicas sociais ambivalentes? ¿Como é posible identificalas e en que contexto social? Nesta liña, este traballo desenvolve unha aproximación dual: por unha banda, proponse unha metodoloxía de análise que recolla toda a información necesaria da evidencia epigráfica dispoñible, coa intención de definir ata que punto existen diverxencias entre o rexistro epigráfico e outras fontes primarias. Todos os procedementos de análise son descritos e os resultados presentados, expoñendo unha revisión histórica e sociolingüística do territorio galego que pretende contextualizar este fenómeno e as súas aparentes incoherencias. Por outra banda, o estudo das discordancias contextuais propicia unha necesaria reflexión sobre como nos relacionamos cos discursos de poder a través do rexistro material. Exploraranse distintas perspectivas teóricas e metodolóxicas coa intención de considerar o papel dos ‘rexistros ambiguos’ en distintos marcos de relacións de poder. O principal obxectivo é reflexionar sobre cómo podemos analizar estas ambigüidades coa intención de proporcionar ferramentas terminolóxicas para comprender contextos materiais e sociais enmarañados en distintas dinámicas de poder.
Notes
1 We understand the term ‘cultural hegemony’ as a set of discursive issues that embody and justify the culture of power. Cultural hegemony goes beyond content and focuses on form: it is transmitted through any element that supports the discourse of power (Comaroff and Comaroff Citation1991, 31). Different elements linked to the culture professed by the ruling class are shaped to create a sociocultural framework that defines what is prestigious and what is not.
In this way, this Gramscian concept is adopted from the point of view of the influence on subordinates, following Bourdieu’s approach to symbolic violence (Citation1992, 125–127). This work does not analyse which elements consolidated this ‘Spanish cultural hegemony’, but rather the role of Castilian within this context. As happened in other cases (Cortez and Cortez Citation2015), Castilian is understood as a key tool in the construction of the Spanish identity (in the most exclusivist and reluctant sense towards other cultural identities that are part of Spain). Our aim is to examine how Castilian overlapped Galician in public and power contexts.
2 Initially, this project envisaged the survey of three study areas: Ordes-Compostela, Costa da Morte and Deza-Tabeirós. However, due to mobility restrictions imposed by COVID-19 measures, it was not possible to carry out the research in the last two. It is worth noting that a preliminary assessment of some graveyards in these regions clearly suggested a very similar record, especially in terms of the use of language.
3 The fieldwork was carried out between January and March 2021.
4 The whole data can be consulted at: https://www.ige.eu/igebdt/esq.jsp?idioma=es&ruta=onomast/apelidos.jsp