Galicia on the Move

Abstract

If migratory processes inform and construct global imaginaries, discussions of the societal impact of Galician mobility remain as pertinent as ever. The Galician community has been characterized by the intranational and transnational movement of a significant portion of its people since the nineteenth century, a key period in the revitalization of Galician language and culture contemporaneous with the Western consolidation of national identities and nation states. The historic role of Galician diasporas in shaping cultural consciousness has been well documented but constantly demands reappraisal in the so-called age of globalization, as heterogeneous waves of migrants continue to leave in search of opportunities elsewhere. Whilst scholarship on the lasting impact of emigration during the late 1800s and early 1900s abounds, more recent migratory processes during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in particular demand further scrutiny.