ANTHROPOLOGICAL NOTEBOOKS 25 (1): 131–148.
ISSN 1408-032X
© Slo ene An h opological Socie y 2019
Da id Lagunas: A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed iden i y
A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed
iden i y
Da id Lagunas
uni e si y o Se illa, [email protected]
Abs ac
The easons o adop ing a p oblem in e ms o he su i al o a Roma an h opological
and his o ical sys em a e no ac ual, bu heo e ical. This ex analyses some dimensions
o his sys em in ela ion o cul u al iden i y, an idea ha is close bu no iden ical o
he concep o e hnic iden i y o F ed ik F. Ba h. The e hnog aphy wi h he Gi anos o
Mexico Ci y dialogues wi h p e ious e hnog aphies and inqui ies abou he li ed iden i y.
The memo y o he li e o he Calós a e cons uc ed subjec i ely and h ough sociabil-
i y a e objec i ied in a cul u al iden i y, opposed o he legal-poli ical iden i ica ion. The
discou se on mode ni y, he economic ac i i ies, he social hy hms and p ac ices o he
place, as well as he ansna ional and diaspo ic dimension a e he objec o e lec ion.
KEYWORDS: Gi anos, iden i y, cul u e, compa ison, Mexico
In oduc ion
The ques ion o e hnici y, he o m o iden i ica ion and sense o belonging o a com-
muni y, has his o ically shi ed; abo e all, be ween p imo dialis heo ies (e hnici y as a
na u al phenomenon) and cons uc i is heo ies (e hnici y as a social cons uc ion). The
essen ialis s conside ha he iden i y lows om an iden ical sha ed na u e; and he con-
s uc ionis s conside ha he iden i y is a i icially cons uc ed in he social in e ac ion.
We can ind essen ialis and cons uc ionis endencies in he s udies o gende iden i y,
e hnic iden i y, ace iden i y, class iden i y and na ional iden i y, which a e he main opics
o iden i y s udies in he social sciences (Lomni z 2002).
P obably, one o he mos impo an concep s is he bounda y app oach in he
sense o Ba h (1976). I is abou he idea ha he bes use o e hnici y is ha o a concep
o social o ganiza ion ha allows desc ibing he bounda ies and ela ionships o social
g oups in e ms o cul u al con as s, highly selec i e and which a e used in an emblema -
ic way o o ganize iden i ies and in e ac ions. This leads o he analysis o di e en ia ion
policies in a speci ic niche and o he idea ha a social sys em exis s, no in social ac s,
bu in he ep esen a ion sys ems o i s membe s (S ewa 2013: 419).
Fo Ba h (1976: 15) e hnici y is de ined as he social o ganiza ion o cul u al
di e ence. Bu Howe e , i is no he cul u al con en s o iden i y ha de ine e hnici y,
131
bu a he he s a egic in e ac ion ha employs a cul u al epe oi e in a selec i e way,
main aining o econ igu ing collec i e bounda ies. Bo de s uni e because hey sepa a e,
in he manne o Simmel; hey a e a b idge and a doo . Wi h his o mal amewo k, i is
no in ended o answe he ques ion o wha is he e hnic ac o he na u e o e hnici y bu
a he han de ine o disco e he e hnic ac wi h i s in e p e i e biases. Fo Ba h, he
e hnic g oup is a se o indi iduals who claim common his o ical, linguis ic, and cul u al
o igins de ined by he ac o s hemsel es. Thus, i is no necessa y o s udy he e hnic
g oup om he poin o iew o cul u al di e si y, bu om he poin o iew o he p ac i-
cal and symbolic dynamics ha such g oups p oduce in o de o es ablish he bounda ies
be ween hemsel es and o he s (Fabie i 1995).
I is e y signi ican ha Ba h s udied he Ta a e, a No wegian i ine an g oup,
be o e w i ing The E hnic G oups and hei Bounda ies. The con ibu ion o Ba h is o
inaugu a e he change o ocus: since he e is a p ojec o be done, human g oups ecog-
nize hei di e ences, ha is, hey do no ecognize hemsel es as o he s because hey a e
di e en , bu because hey ha e hei own poli ical p ojec . Be ween he common ele-
men s and he di e en ial elemen s, one o he o he is emphasized in he unc ion o he
his o ical conjunc u es which in u n will depend on he p ojec s: some imes i consis s
in emphasizing he di e ence, om inside o ou side (e.g., ghe os,..). The e o e, e hnic
bounda ies obey mo e o p ojec s han o eal di e ences. The ac ha people sha e simi-
la expe iences o occupa ions, gende o skin colo , does no make hem a communi y. I
equi es a sha ed sense o ideological o cul u al belonging; o a sense o common p ojec .
So, communi ies o any kind a e ne e na u al, bu buil and hei exis ence equi es wo k.
And mo eo e , like e e y hing, hey a e con ingen , malleable, and o en uns able.
Usually, i is conside ed ha he eelings o e hnic belonging o he indi iduals
indica e ha he e hnic g oup exis s: he people who sha e a language, a his o y, a se o
cul u al p ac ices, and who possess a sha ed memo y o hese elemen s (Fabie i, 1995).
The ins umen alis cha ac e o iden i y, acco ding o Pujadas (1993), is ano he dimen-
sion ha e e s no so much o a being ha sha es di e en ai s ha would be sough
in his o y, geog aphy, cul u e o kinship, bu a he o social ep esen a ion h ough he
subjec s de ine hei own iden i ies and hink wha hey a e because hey supposedly sha e
some ea u es. The diac i ical ea u es ha a e mean o symbolize cul u al di e ences
a e hose pe cei ed as he mos dis an om hose ai s hey sha e wi h o he g oups.
The independen a iable in he collec i e analysis a e no he diac i ic ea u es such as
baggage o cul u al he i age, bu he exis ence o sha ed in e es s and he exis ence o a
collec i e p ojec which is held in common, g ie ances o his o ical claims. The in e es s
and collec i e p ojec s enjoy high consensus as pa o he p ocess o he cons uc ion o
eali y, which inally leads o hese ea u es being sha ed. The e o e, eali y con o ms o
he ep esen a ion o wha is said abou i . In o he wo ds, i is he sel - ul illing p ophecy
o Williams I. Thomas: he de ini ions o eali y a e ue, a leas in hei consequences.
In he case o Romani s udies, he omology (Piase e 2006: 75) exis s; and he
heo e ical, philosophical, and epis emological p oblems posed by he Roma in i e o
compa ison. F om he ou side, cohe ence is pu in dange wi hin he communi ies; om
he inside, he isions a e pa ial, and a ypical-ideal Roma is buil ( he ulga iza ions
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o Clébe o Bloch). The au ho s do no ag ee and he Roma do no ag ee ei he . Wha
has been said so a aises he conside a ion o Roma om “s yles” o cul u e e ealed
in e y comp ehensi e e hnog aphies (Piase e 1985; Williams 1984; S ewa 1997); o
cul u al c ea i i y ha dialogues wi h an h opology, sociology and philosophy (see Wil-
liams 1996); o conside a ion o popula ions, some ma ginal, o he s wi h g ea e balance
wi h espec o he global socie y (Piase e 2011; F ase 2005); and also o he disco e y
o he in e nal c i ic (Leblon 1992) and o he agen s o his o y: Roma ac o s a e c ea-
o s o hei own his o y, hey build socie ies wi h his o y and ha e he capaci y o make
changes (Lagunas 2014a).
Williams’s wo ks, as well as Okely (1983), Piase e (1985) and S ewa (1997),
exp ess he cen ipe al endency, as opposed o he cen i ugal endency ( he pa adigm
o he pe ipa e ic g oups) wi hin he Roma s udies and hey all equen ly deal wi h he
heme o iden i y and i s ep oduc ion. They p i ilege he concen a ion in a singula
communi y and he analysis o i s p ac ices and concep s, unde lining he a icula ion
be ween he ideologically-highly c ea i e cons uc ion o he local communi y and he
condi ions o exis ence, esul ing in mu able social s uc u es. The esul ing iden i y is
ela ional, no subs an ial, wi h a lexible e hnic axonomy (Piase e) and a modula ed
pe sonal iden i y (Williams). The esul ing cohe ence be ween economic p ac ice and he
cons uc ion o he wo ld (Piase e, Williams, Okely) is subjec o analysis, as well as, in
o he cases, he ela ionship be ween condi ions o exis ence and he ideology o he com-
muni y (S ewa ) (Piase e 1999: 50-51).
Me hodologically, he s udy o he Roma is a pa o he need o de elop s ong
e hnog aphies based on me hodological in e ac ionism. Local uni s, ne wo ks o amilies
and “g oups” a e no he ic ims, bu adap o he mo e global con ex s o socie y hanks
o he wo k hey pe o m wi hin he powe ela ions ha a e es ablished wi h he S a e and
he ma ke . I is impo an o emphasize ha i is in social and his o ical con ex s whe e
he his o ical esul s o con on a ion, con lic s, social changes and ine ia esponses o
he eme gence o di e ence; and he play o in luences – mo e o less balanced – a e usu-
ally cons uc ed be ween he Roma and hei su oundings. The compa ison s a s om
his obse a ion. F om his pe spec i e, he Roma sys em – wi hou e e ing o an essen-
ialism – aised by Williams (1984) and Piase e (1985, 2011), eme ges a wo le els: a)
he cul u al ep oduc ion in Roma e ms is social, luid and elas ic; and e e s o his o ical
condi ions; b) he ep esen a ion and cons an s aging, he symbolic and eal de ices ha
o m he whole o ou knowledge and he his o ical pe manence; o , how he coun ies
wi h he p esence o he Roma easu ing some hing o hei own. This second dimen-
sion e e s o he cons uc ion o he social o ganiza ion ha is ca ied ou wi h espec
o o he Roma and Gaje ha li e in he same place, which e lec s he ype o pe manen
e o mula ion, no in isola ion, bu in ela ion o he global socie y ha pu s in o p ac ice
each communi y.
Analysing how he communi y is buil as a singula social objec is a dynamic
and changing p ocess o e he yea s. Piase e (2016) a i ms ha Roma communi ies a e
bo n, de elop and also die in his pe manen e o mula ion. The p inciple o Roma a icu-
la ion be ween cul u al ep oduc ion, economic ep oduc ion and he opposi ion Roma /
Da id Lagunas: A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed iden i y
133
Gaje has been acqui ing he o m o a modula ed an h opological sys em and a iable in
ela ion o he his o ical des iny and he poli ical si ua ion o each g oup (Williams 2011:
19). Bu howe e , he p oblem pe sis s, ha is, he men al impossibili y o unde s and-
ing he opposi ion be ween he social de ini ion o he Roma and he app ecia ion o he
in e io i y o his ci iliza ion.
Ma as (2013) indica es ha he Roma a e a social g oup di icul o concep ual-
ize ealis ically, and he deba e con inues abou whe he he Roma cons i u e an e hnic
mino i y o a di e se se o popula ions ha sha e cul u al s yles. Ma as (F iedman &
F iedman 2015) s a es ha , al hough no all Eu opean na ions and peoples show he same
symme ic se o iden i ie s, lexible de ini ions a e necessa y, unde lining he exis ence
o impo an ma ke s o e hnici y, such as he Romani language. Piase e (2011) poin s ou
ha he Roma cons i u e a poly he ic cul u al ca ego y, wi h an ai o amily, whose his-
o y shows quasi- egula i ies: imme sion / dispe sion, Roma sys em, ne wo k o amilies,
cul u al enginee ing and he a o exploi ing impe ec ions. So, “Roma” is an ex e nal
e m, a cons uc di icul o de ine, wi h a ague and imp ecise meaning based on linguis-
ic, geog aphical, o his o ical c i e ia; and i is he socio-poli ical con ex ha de e mines
whe he i is possible o e e o an e hnic g oup o a social class (Piase e 1995). S ewa
(1995, 2013) poin s ou ha Ba h posi s a ansac ionalis conno a ion o social o ganiza-
ion as a esul o a p ocess, no a s uc u e, whose limi is i s own concep ion o e hnic
g oup. This concep ion p esen s wo p oblems: he global poli ical economy is blu ed in
he ace o he claim ha o ming an e hnic g oup is a alue in i sel ; and i uses a single
label o indica e di e en ypes o iden i y. Likewise, S ewa (2010: 5–7) is scep ical and
a gues ha , despi e he popula i y o concep s such as “e hnici y” o “e hnic ela ions”,
i s applica ion adds no hing o social analysis. In he same olume, Du s (2010: 13–14)
conside s ha e hnici y canno be concei ed as a cul u al mechanism, as an e hnic g oup
sha ing he same cul u e (as Ba h), bu as a ela ional a iable being he esul , no only
o he in e ela ion o di e se a iables and ac o s (social s a us, cul u al p ac ices), bu
mo e conc e ely o he social con ex ha de ines he implan a ion o he e hnic g oups.
The case o Spain is e y in e es ing – jus o men ion he ac ha one o he
mos epea ed ph ases among he a ious Gi ano g oups is ha “ he o he s a e no ue
Gi anos”, e e ing o hose om o he neighbo hoods, ci ies o owns wi h whom hey do
no main ain ne wo ks o in e ac ion. The ques ion hen is: does a Gi ano socie y exis ?;
o al e na i ely: does an Ibe ian Gi ano socie y exis ? Gay y Blasco (1999) emphasizes
he me onymic bonds be ween he indi idual and socie y when in he e hnog aphy she
asks he Gi anos o Mad id: “Who a e Gi ano?”; and hey espond in unison: “Gi ano is
me!”, in he idea o a ype o Gi ano iden i y ha is pe o ma i e. Common descen , com-
mon his o y, and common homeland a e co e elemen s o he e hnici y (G een, 2006), bu
ex emely changing and malleable.
Ha ing exposed all o he abo e, my a emp is, ins ead o deepening he de-
ba e abou whe he he Roma a e an e hnic g oup o no , o i hey a e a g oup (B u-
bake s yle), o ocus on a pa icula communi y a ound he idea o “ li ed iden i y”, he
memo ies o li e ha a e subjec i ely cons uc ed and a e objec i ied in a cul u al iden-
i y h ough sociabili y (Te adas 2004: 63). This cul u al iden i y is opposed, he e o e,
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o he legal-poli ical iden i ica ion, which is ypical o mass psychology, is mili an and
poli icizes his o y, language and di e ences; and ha is also cha ac e ized by being ex-
plici and s a ic, a ype o li eless and limi ing classi ica ion o cul u al e olu ion. The
consequences a e dehumaniza ion, exclusion, and aliena ion. The pa io ic eeling, he
s igma iza ion o he o he o he na ional iden i y documen would be examples o his
legal-poli ical iden i ica ion.
Cul u al iden i y is no in a pu e s a e and wi hou in e e ence. This cul u al
iden i y is implici , in he sense o a spi i and eeling; and coincides wi h he idea o he
idioma ic a i ude, his habi us o being Roma, as Williams men ions (1996). O cou se,
i is dynamic because i changes wi h li e, cus oms and he memo ies o he pas ; and i is
c ea i e since i encompasses he con inuous sea ch o solu ions o p oblems. The conse-
quences a e he exchange, he social mee ing and, in gene al, he luidi y o li e, as in he
case o he Mexican Calós ha I am going o analyze.
Two coun ies, h ee Caló communi ies
E hnog aphy is essen ial o p o iding i s -hand knowledge and escaping om unc i ical
gene aliza ions. Malinowski was al eady in cha ge o wa ning ha eali y is deepe han
philosophical hough and as e han he me hod could encompass. The e o e, i should
be p uden o wo ks in which he e is an excess o abs ac concep s ins ead o p ecise
desc ip ions. A good monog aph should no show epis emological di e ences wi h e-
spec o he di e en monog aphs, no di e ing wi h he p e ious e hnog aphies. In o he
wo ds, he bes gua an ee o a good e hnog aphy is i s ei e a ion and objec i i y agains
any pamphle app oach (Lagunas 2018). In ac , Piase e (1996) wa ned mo e han wo
decades ago ha he lack o di ec expe ience and he mise able expe ience i sel had
gene a ed housands o pages in nume ous s udies on Roma o dubious quali y; and how
knowledge based on epe i ion had been buil : mos schola s did no do esea ch, bu hey
hough hey knew e e y hing abou he Roma.
S a ing om he idea o Roma “ p esence”, in a philosophical sense, and he no-
ions o being in he wo ld, being p esen in his o y h ough cul u e (de Ma ino, 1977), I
would like o expose some key ques ions based on e hnog aphy – in cons uc ion – wi h
he Spanish Gi anos (Calós) o Mexico Ci y (Lagunas, 2014b, 2017a, 2017b), which ol-
lows a line o con inui y wi h he e hnog aphies made wi h o he Gi ano communi ies: he
Ca alan Calós o Ma a ó (Lagunas 2005) and he Andalusian Calós (case os) o La Mina
(Lagunas 2010). These e hnog aphies, in ac , ha e no ended since he e hnog aphic
expe ience has been a ype o commi men h oughou li e (Piase e 1999: 83) and also in
he pe sonal sphe e (Budilo á & Jakoubek 2009).
This choice, on he o he hand, a ises om he p emise ha o build he e hnog-
aphy o he Roma, as Williams (1994) wa ns, we mus make abula asa wi h each local
communi y; and, consequen ly, be c i ics ega ding gene aliza ions and ex apola ions
wi h espec o o he Roma g oups. I hink ha , in a anscenden al way, he s udy o
hese Gi ano communi ies in di e se his o ical, geog aphic, poli ical, and socioeconomic
con ex s is a p o o ype o he heo e ical de elopmen o bo h me hodological and heo-
e ical p oblems, as well as ex a-disciplina y ones ha a e ela ed.
Da id Lagunas: A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed iden i y
135

The ques ion and axis o his in es iga ion is o y o ansla e hose possible
elemen s o he Caló uni e se wi h he in en ion o p oducing a cohe en ep esen a ion
and hus make he Calós in e es ing and in elligible. This choice is de e mined by he ype
o cul u al c ea i i y o hese g oups and i ha c ea i i y is able o dialogue wi h e hnog-
aphies. I am in e es ed in emphasizing he di e ence and o iginali y o he cul u al ep o-
duc ion o he Mexican Calós in ela ion o a se ies o aspec s, which also appea in o he
e hnog aphies abou he Roma. And in a signi ica i e way hese a e dimensions linked o
he no ion o mode ni y and cul u al c ea i i y ha dialogue wi h an h opology.
To add ess his issue, I mus make a b ie men ion o he wo p e ious e hnog a-
phies ha I made wi h he Calós in Ca alonia. In he i s place, he e hnog aphy wi h he
Ca alonian Calós o Ma a ó in a “ ime” – om 1994 o 1998 – and hei “ imes” – hei
ou ines and daily i uals a he ba , he ma ke , playing ca ds o dominoes, a weddings
o une als. These we e he immedia e and close ela ionships ha , since Mo gan’s ime,
an h opology has main ained wi h he local popula ions. Me hodologically, he e hnog-
aphy abou he Ca alan Calós ied a emp ed o espond o he p oblem o c ea i i y,
ha is, o speak o a known hing ha does no gi e any su p ise o i s uni e sali y and
s anda iza ion: hey a e middle class Gi anos, wi h peace ul ela ions o hei en i on-
men s and inhabi ing he ci y cen e . Wi h hem, I ied o in oduce a p oduc i e and
a he same ime challenging opic: how o in oduce he no ion o mode ni y in s udies
abou Gi anos. The opinions I p esen ed in he e hnog aphy wi h he Ca alan Calós, who
called hemsel es Gi anos mode nos, we e e y di e en om hose exp essed in p e i-
ous e hnog aphies abou Gi anos in Spain, in which Gi ano g oups do no see hemsel es
as pa icula ly “mode n”; al hough simila mo i s can be ound in hese e hnog aphies,
pa adoxically in ela ion o he p oblema ic concep ualiza ion o how Gi anos a e loca ed
in non-Gi ano (mode n?) socie y. The sel -designa ion o “mode n Gypsies” in e es ed
me as Gi ano speech (emic model), since he heo e ical ques ion abou whe he hey a e
eally mo e in eg a ed in mode ni y wi h espec o o he Roma g oups (e hical model)
o hei ap i ude o ecei ing and esigni ying he new is mo e o less signi ican wi h
espec o hese o he g oups. Bu i p esen s an added p oblem: did i mean ha he Calós
had commi ed o mode ni y in mo e adical ways han o he Gi ano g oups? Could only
in e es mode ni y as a speech o he Calós? Is mode ni y a scien i ic, social ca ego y o
an au o-asc ibed iden i y?
The Calós, in ac , exhibi ed wo di e en s yles o labels o ejec an essen ial-
is concep ion o Gipsyness (Gi aneidad). They a icked explici ly, some imes bois e -
ously, wi h popula s e eo ypes (e.g. musical as es like Cuban salsa and umba) wi h he
pu pose o showing ha hey we e no in ac Gi anos. In ac , on one occasion, one o
he men o espec ( ío) among he Calós poin ed ou ha hey should be called “Ca a-
lan descendan s o Gi anos”. This ca alani y ques ioned he p ojec ions and opics o he
academic wo ld ega ding he Gi anos and Roma as s a eless, wi hou e i o y, wi hou
na ion o wi hou eligion.
The Calós, a i ming and exhibi ing p e e ences ma ked cul u ally by o he s,
such as Ca alan umba music, seemed o poin ou in e cul u al a ini ies. A o he imes,
hey we e ca e ul no o aise hei oice oo much in si ua ions o con ac wi h Payos,
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An h opological No ebooks, XXV/1, 2019
showing ha hey we e o dina y people, as a he o ical way o diminishing hei Gipsy-
ness. Fo example, when women we e going o sell clo hes o he own hey hid hei
Gi ano o igin o a oid e hnic disc imina ion and he ailu e o a possible sale. This e-
sponds o he idea o nega i e e hnic iden i y. The unde lying idea is ha he meaning o
cul u e and i s nego ia ion wi h he ou side is p oduced si ua ionally and inca na ed in
con en ional dis inc ions and ca ego ies, no s a ic o uni o m.
The Calós o Ma a ó and o he Gi ano communi ies o Ba celona we e he musi-
cal s a s in i ed a o he closing ce emony o he Olympic Games in Ba celona in 1992,
an eloquen e e ence o mode ni y. The mos au hen ic, he spi i o Ba celona shown o
he wo ld, had been inca na ed in he Ca alan Calós as he ep esen a i es o a genuine
musical s yle: he Ca alan umba. The na ional and s a e poli ical powe used he aes he -
ics and music o he Calós, e ishized and comme cialized h ough ele ision and o he
mass media, o spec acula ize he cul u e o he Gi anos, con e ed in o a na ional cul u e;
and, a he same ime, ea i m and culmina e he inco po a ion o Ba celona and Spain
in mode ni y. All o his, in sho , indica ed ha he Ca alan Calós we e cul u ally c ea-
i e and al e na ed di e en c i e ia in hei social ela ionships o be e deal wi h social
complexi ies. The e o e, hey did no dialogue wi h wha hey expec ed, bu hei sys em
came in o ela ion wi h a sys em as complex as he non-Roma exp essing hei eedom
o choice.
The second e hnog aphy de eloped in e mi en ly h oughou he 1990s is an-
o he pa adigma ic example o he mul iple mode ni ies ha su ound he li e o he Gi-
anos. The Andalusian Calós, who liked o de ine hemsel es as case os (“ om home”, as
opposed o he i ine an Gi anos in Andalusia – canas e os), we e ins alled in Ca alonia
om he 1950s and 1960s o he las cen u y. They had o ace a si ua ion o u ban seg-
ega ion in he neighbo hood o La Mina, on he bo de wi h Ba celona, ope a ed by he
poli ical powe o la e-F anquism (1970-1974). The neighbo hood was buil o eloca e
amilies om he slums o Ba celona, including a non-Gi ano p ole a ian majo i y and
lumpenp ole a ia . The Andalusian Calós we e loca ed in a acialized social space, ex-
cluded and seg ega ed esul ing om he economic imbalance and di e en ial access o
he housing ma ke ha se iously a ec ed he shan y own (ba aquis as) g oups in he
Ba celona me opoli an a ea a he end o he 1960s. He insc ibed in a wide eali y o
he e o opic and plu al na u e, he imagined Ba celona, which had gene a ed i s silenced
coun e -places like La Mina. The cons uc ion o he o he by he popula imagina ion and
he poli ical eli es led o he s igma iza ion o he esiden s o La Mina.
Howe e , he social seg ega ion ope a ed did no lead o sel -des uc ion and i
did no en ail a con inemen o he Gi anos, bu a he a social and cul u al econs uc ion.
Fo example, he Andalusian Calós o ganized a Can e Flamenco Compe i ion e e y yea
in he neighbo hood, p omo ing cul u al exchange a he me opoli an le el and linking
he neighbo hood o s a e and global a is ic ne wo ks. This g an ed a s a us o cul u al
space o he neighbo hood. Fo a ime, he Compe i ion was pa o he p og amming o
he G ec Fes i al o Ba celona, a p es igious annual cul u al and a is ic e en . The G ec
ep esen ed he di e si y o he ci y o Ba celona and he me opoli an a ea h ough he
a s, a mul icul u al iden i y policy aimed a c ea ing ep esen a i e spaces o e hnic and
Da id Lagunas: A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed iden i y
137
adi ional mino i ies a ound a mode n cen e cen e ha was celeb a ed and cul i a ed,
he G ea Ba celona, he ul ima e objec o celeb a ion and wo ship. O e he yea s, he
G ec had been highly a ac i e o he u ban middle class when i came o ep esen he
ci y as pa o a p ojec ha imb ica ed geog aphy, cul u e and he a s. The G ec was a
o m o p oduc ion o he ci y s aging u ban cul u al pe o mances. So, he cul u e, mobi-
lized om a poli ical, economic and cul u al cen e as Ba celona, was ead as a discipli-
na y powe mechanism, no only om he municipal sphe e, bu also om he au onomic
and s a e powe . In con as , when iewed om he side o he Andalusian Calós, i was
pe cei ed as an al e na i e a ena o esis ance and ac i ism, as a cul u al p oduc ion ha
ep esen ed he dis inc ion o he Andalusian Calós; and as a poli ics o iden i y ha ein-
o ced he he i age o he lamenco adi ion as a coun e -discou se o esis ance agains
he domina ion o he majo i y socie y. Indeed, h ough lamenco singing and dancing, a
key space could be obse ed in which inclusion and exclusion in he Spanish S a e was
we e p oduced and dissemina ed.
In his way, in he las wo decades, he Andalusian Calós ca ied ou a p ocess
o e hnogenesis, h ough which hey essen ialized a se ies o cul u al symbols, such as la-
menco, c a smanship and gas onomy - ague symbols in hei de ini ion, bu eno mous-
ly lexible and adap able o hei in e es s -, which ended up eme ging as incon es able
and genuine ac s. The ec ea ion o a my hical his o y o lamenco ha ga e meaning o
i s mig a ion, he managemen o iden i y as Gi anos in a mo e cosmopoli an u ban en i-
onmen , and his o ical consciousness we e buil wi h he associa ion, he Cen o Cul u al
Gi ano (“ he oldes Gi ano associa ion in Spain”, hey said), exe cising as a cul u al b o-
ke . The ep esen a ion o a Gi ano-Andalusian cul u e, ei ied in in e cul u al ansac-
ions such as he Flamenco Compe i ion and in ol ed in a sel -conscious in en ion o he
his o y and cul u e o he Gi anos, was he exp ession o a hegemonic and esis an o m
o nos algia, which ec ea ed a s ong, dis inc i e, sel -a ibu ed egional iden i y and i s
use o speci ic pu poses. In sho , he Andalusian Calós de eloped his se o s a egies
bo h in discu si e spaces and in he p ac ices ha made hem e ec i e, balancing hei
commi men o his o y and open possibili ies, as well as hei commi men o mode ni y,
bu in di e en ways and a he same ime common wi h he Ca alan Calós.
And u he mo e, al eady en e ing ully in o he p esen e hnog aphy, since 2010
and in e mi en ly I ha e wo ked in he ield wi h a communi y o Calós o Spanish o igin
in Mexico Ci y, who li e in a quie a ea (like he Ca alan Calós) nea o he his o ic cen e
and known as he “Zona Rosa”, a esiden ial a ea o he uppe -middle class wi h an in-
ense o e o en e ainmen , nigh li e, as well as comme cial and inancial se ices.
I should be no ed ha he image o he Calós in Mexico is no as clea as ha o
o he Roma g oups (Rom, Luda ) ha ha e ci cula ed a ound he coun y wi h a g ea e
deg ee o isibili y. The phenomenon o mig a ion o Mexico has su e ed some in is-
ibili y, and he Calós a e ac ually a d op in a sea o immig an s om o he coun ies; hei
pa icipa ion in his o y has been eclipsed. Much mo e isible has been, o example, he
immig a ion o Republican exiles o Mexico a e he Spanish Ci il Wa and he social
ele ance o hei con ibu ion o ecen his o y. This his o ical o ge ulness o he Calós,
and o he Roma in gene al, is also explained by he p ojec ion o a s igma ized image.
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The popula image o he Roma is a my hical image o he adi ional and o g ea inhe i -
ances o he pas , as well as o a nomadic adi ion.
Seeing how e ec i e his image is a double-sided coin. On he one hand, i
means analyze wha he p esen o he Calós means ou side he dis o ed image o wha
he Roma a e. This implies ques ioning he hinking abou he way o seeing he eal-
i y o he Calós, as i i we e a adi ion, an a chaism, and a hind ance o ma e ial and
social p og ess. Thei pe cep ion o he wo ld, espec o he pas is di e en : and he
a emp o inco po a e new elemen s is an impo an dimension o he Calós’s uni e se.
In he e hnog aphy eme ges no a pa aly ic, heuma ic o immobile wo ld, bu a wo ld o
a icula ion, o one g oup wi h espec o ano he and o ex eme lexibili y. Al hough he
Calós possess communi y schemes ha ope a e as bumpe s and limi indi idual eedom,
alchemy is achie ed h ough a combina ion o adi ionalism and indi idualism. Among
he Calós, indi idualis ic hinking, bu also he s eng hening o hei adi ions, pen-
e a es in hei hie a chical o ms and hei ways o hinking. So, he Calós welcome he
a ie y, he ajec o y o ime and hei pe spec i es o he u u e om he poin o iew
o cul u al c ea i i y.
The Calós om Mexico Ci y
The idea o a ansa lan ic cul u e o Paul Gil oy, who e e s o a black A lan ic cul u e,
which is no A ican, B i ish, Ame ican o Ca ibbean, bu a mix u e o all o hem ha
anscends e hnici y and na ionali y, is an in e es ing heu is ic concep . Bu howe e , be-
yond i s scope and gene aliza ion, I am in e es ed in highligh ing he singula i y o he
p esence o he Calós in Mexico Ci y and i s o e lap wi h a ype o app op ia ion o he
discou se o mode ni y.
The o m and physiology o his ansna ional communi y a e e icula and lex-
ible, ollowing he logic o an in o mal ansna ional ne wo k (Vande lick, 2004: 56) hus
c ea ing a ansna ional, e icula , and lexible mig a o y communi y (ibid., p. 57). In his
way, he Calós o Mexico Ci y o m a non-closed communi y, p oduced by ansna ional
mig a ion p ocesses ha ha e le a composi ion o amily ne wo ks (Taube , 2008: 156)
in pe manen cons uc ion and pe meabilizing he en i e social s uc u e o such socie y.
Fo he pas ou decades, he amily and iendship ne wo ks in he communi y a e buil
and e o mula ed pe manen ly h ough a con inuum o mig a ion pa e ns ha ange om
a ew mon hs in he coun y and he subsequen e u n o Spain, o a mo e s able pa e n
o esidence since ou decades ago.
The global and local cu encies o he o e lapping Gi anos a e an open ield o
compa ison. And he analysis is en iched when we si ua e ou sel es in he in ica e dilem-
mas c ea ed by he in e sec ion o di e en c i e ia o belonging and iden i y, discou ses,
and social p ac ices o s a egic impo ance ha ep esen a way o he inse ion o he
Gi anos in mode ni y. Because he socie ies, he powe s, he subjec s, cons uc di e se
no ions o mode ni y when desc ibing hei iden i ies, he no ion o mode ni y should
be concep ualized as pa o a language game, acco ding o Wi gens ein, ins ead o an
objec i e eali y, since ha unc ions as a gene al concep (as an image) ha condi ions
he explana ion o eali y, once he common aspec s o hese phenomena a e selec ed
Da id Lagunas: A e Ba h: The Mexican Calós’s li ed iden i y
139
quis a s a e and democ a ic Spain should no be aken o g an ed. The eal and p agma ic
p ac ices, o complex nego ia ions and c ossings bo de s, much mo e non-sys ema ic un-
like he gene a i e model o Ba h, ha his communi y o Gi anos pu in o play e lec s
hei commi men wi h his o y and open possibili ies; and abo e all, i s commi men o
mode ni y. Bu , howe e , i also ep esen s he e idence o his o he comp omise be-
ween he “inside” and he “ou side” ha seems o be s uc u al. The Andalusian Calós,
he Ca alan Calós, and he Mexican Calós mus ace he same p oblem: o manage he
p ac ical isibili y and he in e nal and ex e nal way o p esen ing hemsel es as Gi anos.
How do hey do ha ? The Andalusian Calós making hemsel es isible and commi ing
hemsel es o he social s uggle and hei cul u al and his o ical igh s; he Ca alan Calós
dis inguishing hemsel es as mode n Gi anos; he Mexican Calós p esen ing hemsel es
as cul u ed and a elled people, who ha e seen he wo ld, dis inguishing hemsel es
om he es o Spania ds. These p ac ical isibili ies eed he ep esen a ion o hem-
sel es and o he s in pa icula nego ia ion junc u es, when di e en elemen s o con ac
and condensa ion, as Foucaul s a ed, a e ound.
Finally, I wan ed o emphasize ha none o his would be possible wi hou he
ep oduc ion o he social uni social among he Mexican Calós, which is a po en ial ha
is cul i a ed e e y day h ough ecip ocal ela ionships. I is he idea o being oge he ,
mee ing and e-mee ing, he luc ua ing equency o coincidence and ecu ence, which
also builds cul u al iden i y. And, mo eo e , i is he sense o communi y, no an objec i e
eali y, ha is cap u ed. The desi e o be oge he and do hings oge he – a e y ague
bu applicable idea – build he ounda ions o Caló socie y. The g ea impo ance o his
idea is seen in he ele ance o social hy hmici y, which con e s e e yday ou ines
in o symbolic ac i i ies o cul u e and whose ac i e language in e p e s o he ac i i ies:
unde lining he impo ance o social bonds and encou aging people o pe o m ac ions o
ein o ce he idea o he impo ance o li ing in socie y. This is he culmina ion o soci-
e y and he ex en o which i is ca ied ou and c ea es sociabili y, as Du kheim asse s.
This highligh s he impo ance o symbolic p ocesses media ed by he cul u al con ex in
which hey occu : li ing in socie y and he exis en ial and expe ien ial ecogni ion o he
need o be pa o socie y.
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Po ze ek
Razlogi za ob a na anje p oblema smislu oh ani e omskega an opološkega in zgo-
do inskega sis ema niso dejanski, em eč eo e ični. V besedilu so analizi ane neka -
e e dimenzije ega sis ema po eza i s kul u no iden i e o, idejo, ki je blizu, enda ni
iden ična pojmu e nične iden i e e F ed ika F. Ba ha. E nog a ija Gi anoso iz Mexico
Ci ya je soočena s p ejšnjimi e nog a ijami in poiz edbami o ži eči iden i e i. Spomin na
ži ljenje Calóso je zg ajen subjek i no in je z d užabnos jo objek i izi an kul u no
iden i e o, ki nasp o uje p a no-poli ični iden i ikaciji. P edme p emisleka s a disku z o
sodobnos i, gospoda skih deja nos ih, d užbenih i mih in p aksah k aja e nadnacion-
alni in diaspo ni dimenziji.
KLJu^NE BESEDE: Gi anos, iden i e a, kul u a, p ime ja a, Mehika
CORRESPONDENCE: DAVID LAGUNAS, Uni e si y o Se illa, Depa men o Social
An h opology, c/Dña. Ma ía de Padilla s/n, 41004 Se illa, Spain. E-mail: dlagunas@
us.es.
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