The topic of this dissertation is the "fiesta de San Fermin," better known as Sanfermines or Sanfermin, which annually takes place from the 6th to the 14th of July in Pamplona, Spain in the province of Navarre. This work analyzes the...
moreThe topic of this dissertation is the "fiesta de San Fermin," better known as Sanfermines or Sanfermin, which annually takes place from the 6th to the 14th of July in Pamplona, Spain in the province of Navarre. This work analyzes the internal dynamics of the fiesta from its origins in the twelfth century through it institutionalization in the fifteenth century, and its popularization in the twentieth century. In particular, the thesis focusses on the period from 1930 to 1978, an era of turbulent political, social, economic and ideological transformations as well as dramatic modifications in public attitudes and behavior in Spain. These years include the end of the Restoration, the Second Republic (1931-1936), the civil war (1936-1939), General Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975), and the transition toward a parliamentary Monarchy. During these years Pamplona witnessed industrialization, rapid urban expansion, the development of new social classes and novel social attitudes, deep social and political polarization, and sharp ideological divisions, especially around the issue of the integration of the province of Navarre into the Basque country.
The study combines historical and anthropological methods. Sanfermines is analyzed as a vivid text which interprets, depicts, and communicates the social, political, ideological, economic, and behavioral context of the city and its inhabitants. The Pamplonese fiesta is utilized as a document by which the basic principles of Pamplona's society as well as its language, symbols, signs, rituals, and other festive expressions are deciphered. In this work, the fiesta is observed as a microcosm or allegory of an urban center in change. Sanfermines operates as a thermometer which measures the transformation of Pamplona and the relations between the individual and the community.
This work demonstrates that the fiesta is a complex cultural phenomenon that is intrinsically interwoven within its historical context, which cannot be fully understood outside of it. The fiesta is found to generate its own morphology, with a particular form and structure.
