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Folklore Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2009

English Language and Literature

Welsh Patagonia; identity commodification; heritage tourism; globalisation; material culture; 'Welsh Tea'

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Full-Text Articles in Folklore

The War Of The Tea Houses, Or How Welsh Heritage In Patagonia Became A Valuable Commodity, Geraldine Lublin Jul 2009

The War Of The Tea Houses, Or How Welsh Heritage In Patagonia Became A Valuable Commodity, Geraldine Lublin

e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies

The present article will explore how globalization and its economic implications have resulted in the commodification of Welsh heritage in Gaiman, a small town in the Argentine province of Chubut, with a special focus on the collectivity-defining custom of 'Welsh Tea' as offered by the local tea houses. After providing some background on the history of the Welsh community in Patagonia, the discussion will consider how the surge in heritage and culture tourism and tourism-related services has added new value to Welsh Patagonian culture and encouraged the positioning of Welsh cultural products and other aspects of heritage as marketable commodities, …