Empire, nation and the fate of a language: Patagonia in Argentine and Welsh literature

摘要

This article explores present-day representations, in Argentine and Welsh literature, of the utopian quest for linguistic, religious and political autonomy that drove a small group of Welsh migrants to Patagonia in the mid-nineteenth century. It proposes that Patagonia, mythologized in imperial travel accounts as civilization's antithesis and in the early discourse of the Argentine State as economically exploitable, is today subject to new claims from both sides of the Atlantic. As Welsh language initiatives in the Chubut Valley of Argentina reach new levels of popularity, Argentine fiction constructs ‘Welsh Patagonia’ as a refuge from, but rarely a challenge to, national politics. In Wales, on the other hand, Patagonia is crucial to twenty-first-century articulations of a Welsh identity that is transnational rather than British.View full textDownload full textRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13688790.2011.542119