In much of the existing research concerning Aljamiado literature, we can observe attempts to assign individual texts or even the whole corpus unequivocally to a Spanish or Arabic/islamic tradition. However, these attempts fail to adequately address the specificities of these texts and sometimes actively obscure important connections. This can be shown through an analysis of the Coplas del Alhichante de Puey Monzón, a pilgrimage narrative in verse from the sixteenth century that has so far mostly been seen as a (...) continuation of the Arabic riḥla. This paper provides an overview of the history, past research and editions, and poetical form of the text, as well as a proposed date for its production, followed by a detailed analysis concerning its possible function which serves as a basis for comparing it to pilgrimage narratives from the Arabic/islamic tradition and its Spanish/christian counterparts. Contrary to what is usually assumed, the Coplas have more in common with the latter than with Arabic riḥla texts. They can therefore be interpreted as a product of a cultural “contact zone” as defined by Mary Louise Pratt. Rather than merely trying to preserve their Islamic heritage and passively receiving Christian influence, Mudéjares and Moriscos actively participated in contemporary developments in Spanish literature and used them for their own ends. (shrink)

This article focuses on the translation that Guy Debord made of the poem Coplas a la muerte de su padre, a work by fifteenth-century Castilian court poet Jorge Manrique. Despite the apparent distance between translator and translated, Debord’s interest is a product of his fascination with moments of historical crisis and their transformative possibilities. The Debordian way of confronting such moments and of considering Manrique’s work as a product of one of them is framed within a historical model that (...) collapses the synchronic and the diachronic through textual montage, juxtaposing fragments in an associative way. Debord develops this form of montage in his best-known works, such as The Society of the Spectacle. In dialogue with this peculiar philosophy of history, the article argues that the translation is part of a moment of interest in Spanish culture post-May ’68 in Debord’s work and should be read as a part of the Champ Libre publishing project, financed by Debord’s film impresario, patron, and friend Gerard Lebovici. The ultimate reason for his interest in Spanish culture is the idealization of the political possibilities of a society that, between the seventies and the early eighties when Debord translates Manrique, is in the midst of the transition from dictatorship to democracy. (shrink)

Not so long ago, when I first became interested in flamenco poetry and was studying it from linguistic and cultural points of view, the question of the female image in the verses began to draw my attention. It is a cornerstone of flamenco poetry yet at the same time is full of contradictions. At that time I wanted to define the difference between the singer and the song: the woman who is the exponent of flamenco and the woman who appears (...) in the lyrics. Today, after translating many ‘coplas’ and having delved more and more deeply into the words and their hidden meanings I have discovered new aspects of the feminine concept in flamenco. There are nuances whose roots are found in many and different ancient cultures. To describe the combination of elements that place woman both at the heart of flamenco and at the borders, I would like to refer to a very interesting definition of the ‘feminine mystique’. (shrink)

La percepción de la vida se vincula a la actitud ante la muerte para abrirse a la experiencia estética en torno al Poema de Mio Cid y a las Coplas de Manrique. Los horizontes simbólicos que brotan de la épica y de la lírica acentúan la figura trágica del héroe, del caballero.

Se exploran materias inscribibles en el área de "Literatura y Derecho". En concreto, el estudio de determinadas formas poéticas populares presentes en el folclore andaluz del flamenco, como son las tonás de carceleras y coplas de presos, y varios aspectos de la preocupación y el interés propios de las doctrinas reformistas y de la Escuela positivista del Derecho penal en la España del s. XIX, de suyo relacionados con la política criminal, la imagen del sistema penitenciario y la justicia (...) penal. Conecta así temas de etnología jurídica y filosofía jurídico penal. Utiliza el material recopilado por algunos krausistas que, influidos por doctrinas evolucionistas y por el darwinismo y positivismo folklorista (krausopositivismo), el autor cataloga en particular como "krausofolcloristas", quienes asimismo se mostraron sensibles a la crisis y necesaria modernización del aparato sancionador punitivo del Estado. La investigación concluye reflexionando acerca de problemas relacionados con la identidad y etnicidad sociopolítica y cultural de los grupos excluidos y marginales. (shrink)

Los procesos culturales de los pueblos rurales de América Latina en cuanto a su parte inmaterial, están íntimamente relacionados con la memoria colectiva y/o social, la cual puede fungir, entre otras cosas, para afianzar la transmisión de leyendas creadas por la sabiduría popular por medio de la tradición oral. En los llanos centro-occidentales venezolanos a lo largo de más dos siglos se ha diseminado cantidad de leyendas que cuentan la aparición de espíritus que vagan por las sabanas solitarias, sobre todo (...) en las noches de mayor oscuridad; los llamados “espantos de la sabana” son las almas de antiguos pobladores, ya conocidos, que deambulan pidiendo oraciones para su descanso eterno, o por no poder encontrar la paz que procuran. Dichas narraciones, al pasar de generación en generación forman parte de la identidad llanera y son incluidas en la literatura nacional; en el presente artículo se destaca esta característica colocando como ejemplo la novela de Rómulo Gallegos, Cantaclaro , así como coplas populares o aquellas recopiladas por Alberto Arvelo Torrealba para establecer el enlace existente entre la creación y transmisión de las leyendas y la religiosidad de dicha cultura. Palabras clave: Espantos de la sabana. Leyendas populares. Llanos centro-occidentales venezolanos. Religiosidad.Cultural processes of rural populations in Latin America while its immaterial dimension, are closely related to social and collective memory, which can serve, among other thins, to strengthen the transmission of legends created by wisdom through oral tradition. In the plains of the Midwest Venezuelan, during more than two centuries, were heard many legends that tell the apparition of spirits which roam the savannas lonely, especially on the darkest nights. These "ghosts of Savannah" are the souls of old settlers who roam (roam) because they can not find peace or because they are asking for prayers for his eternal rest. These stories from generation to generation are part of the identity of the plains and are included national literature. This article emphasizes this feature, taking as an example the novel by Romulo Gallegos, as well as popular songs or those compiled by Alberto Arvelo Torrealba to establish the link between the creation and transmission of legends and religion of that culture. Keywords: Ghosts of savannah. Popular legends. Western-central Venezuelan plain. Religiosity. (shrink)