9320236 Beeman This project supports the dissertation research of a student in cultural anthropology from Brown university, studying the relationship between dominant national symbols and regional variations in the popular culture of performances in Spain. The student, an ex-professional dancer, will conduct participant observation among flamenco students in a school in Madrid, and also in Seville, the traditional home of regional flamenco as performed by Spanish Gypsies. Using formal interviews and group interviews (focus groups) as well as examination of news media the student will study perfmroance traditions as potent symbols of Spanish culture as well as the tension between regional and central forces in national culture. This research is important because nations often choose symbols of nationhood -- flags, dances and other performances and works of art -- which are used by the central government as symbols of the whole. These symbols are at the same time instituted and performed in regional variations in opposition to the dominance of the center. When civil order breaks down (as we see it happening in the former Yugoslavia) these symbols can become targets and rallying points. Understanding through a careful case study how one traditional national symbol is learned and interpreted by people with varying agendas can help us understand the general processes of symbol formation and exploitation in modern nations, which can help us understand how to deal with regional and inter-ethnic problems.
