La vida y el mundo de los vaqueiros de alzada

Synopsis of La vida y el mundo de los vaqueiros de alzada

This book by María Cátedra Tomás is a monographic investigation into the Vaqueira culture, analyzing their way of life and the marginalization they suffer. It focuses on the ecological, social, and mental specificity of this town of Asturian shepherds. The work explores how marginalization is not due to supposed origins, but to the context of relationship and ideas in which they are immersed. The alleged Vaqueira race is investigated as a cultural category, a popular and learned myth that provides information about the Vaqueira culture and the Asturian and Spanish society in general. Through the analysis of the ecological-cultural base of braña and aldea, the forms of Vaqueira transhumance, the nature of their society, their concepts about themselves and others, the relationship between man and animal, and the mental associations through the cow, this book introduces us with simplicity and sensitivity, at the same time as with rigorous depth, into the life and world of a fascinating town of shepherds. In addition, an introductory chapter provides the theoretical, practical, and human context of the collection of material and information on the methodology followed.