Description
The Trade of Resin Tapping. Resin and Resin Tappers in the "Mar de Pinares"
Book Summary
This work offers an exhaustive analysis of the resin tapper's trade in the Mar de Pinares region, exploring its impact on the cultural and social identity of its protagonists. Through rigorous research, the author reconstructs the techniques, tools, and ways of life associated with resin extraction, presenting this work as an activity that has shaped the relationship between human beings and the forest landscape. The book not only documents a form of know-how in danger of extinction, but also reflects on the heritage value of these traditional practices.
What is it about?
The book delves into the history and practice of resin tapping in the Mar de Pinares, an extensive forest area where resin extraction was, for centuries, an economic and social pillar. Raúl Martín Vela describes in detail the resin tapper's annual cycle, from the preparation of the pines to the collection of the resin, including the handcrafted tools employed. Beyond the technique, the work explores the worldview of these workers: their relationship with nature, the harsh working conditions, the oral transmission of knowledge, and how this activity has forged a community character and a way of understanding the world. The text draws on ethnographic and archaeological sources to trace the evolution of the trade from its origins to its decline in the 20th century.
Main Topics
- Ethnography of traditional trades in rural environments.
- Social and cultural history of forest workers.
- Archaeology of the forest landscape and its transformation by human activity.
- Anthropology of daily life and forms of subsistence.
- Processes of industrialization and the disappearance of ancestral knowledge.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in ethnography, rural history, and social anthropology, as well as professionals in landscape archaeology. It will also be of great value to those studying the history of industry and industrialization in Spain, and to anyone passionate about the recovery of traditional trades and popular culture. It is especially relevant for inhabitants or those familiar with the Mar de Pinares region who wish to understand their cultural heritage.
What this book contributes
- A detailed and documented record of a trade on the verge of disappearance, contributing to its heritage preservation.
- A comprehensive vision that connects work techniques with social identity and the transformation of the landscape.
- Conceptual tools to understand how traditional productive activities shape the culture and worldview of communities.
- A critical analysis of the impact of modernization on rural ways of life.
Technical Data
- Author: Martín Vela, Raúl
- Publisher: Glyphos Publicaciones
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: Social and cultural history, History of industry and industrialization, Landscape archaeology, Social and cultural anthropology, Ethnography, Traditional trades and skills
- Collection: Contemporary History
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication Date: October 2017
- Number of pages: 390
- Weight: 900 g
Editorial Assessment
This is a rigorous and well-documented monograph that fills a gap in the historiography of traditional Spanish trades. Its multidisciplinary approach, which combines ethnography with landscape archaeology and social history, makes it a reference work for specialists. For the general reader interested in rural culture, it offers a deep and human immersion into an unknown working world, with accessible language despite its academic solidity. It is a highly recommended read for those seeking to understand how manual labor and nature can intertwine to create a unique collective identity.