Binding: Hardcover
Description: What is it about Brittany that makes it such a favourite destination for the British? To answer this question Bretons and Britons explores the long history of the Bretons from the time of the first farmers around 5400 BC to the present and the very close relationship they have had with their British neighbours throughout this time. More than simply a history of a people Bretons and Britons is also the author's homage to a country and a people he has come to admire over decades of engagement. Underlying the story throughout is the tale of the Bretons fierce struggle to maintain their distinctive identity. As a peninsula people living on a westerly excrescence of Europe they were surrounded on three sides by the sea which gave them some protection from outside interference but their landward border was constantly threatened - not only by succeeding waves of Romans Franks and Vikings but also by the growing power of the French state. It was the sea that gave the Bretons strength and helped them in their struggle for independence. They shared in the culture of Atlantic - facing Europe and from the eighteenth century when a fascination for the Celts was beginning to sweep Europe they were able to present themselves as the direct successors of the ancient Celts along with the Cornish Welsh Scots and Irish. This gave them a new strength and a new pride. It is this spirit that is still very much alive today.
Title: Bretons And Britons The Fight For Identity
Author(s): Cunliffe Barry (Emeritus Professor Of European Archaeology Emeritus Professor Of European Archaeology University Of Oxford)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Barcode: 9780198851622
Pages: 488 Pages, 150 Illustrations And Maps
Publication Date: 7/1/2021
Category: Social & Cultural Anthropology, Ethnography