La imagen de los vascos en los viajeros europeos del siglo XIX

Abstract

By means of the writings of European travellers of the 19thcentury during their trips to the Basque country - many of which are bright texts that constitute a source of historical information of a singular value. The author then studies the collective representations that existed on the Basques in that era, that is to say, the image or images that the foreign observers had and spread of the inhabitants of the Basque territories as a collective. The author relates them to the phenomenon of the construction of the 19th century Basque identity that was registered in the interior of the country. This "foreign point of view" is not just a mere observer, it is at the same time an active agent in the identity construction process, and it contributed to spreading images and myths in connection with the Basques.