Allen
Young is a student in the Spanish and Portuguese
Department. He writes,
“I'm
studying Catalan and Spanish cultural politics
in Barcelona, focusing on
the intersection of aesthetic and nationalist movements
at the turn of the
twentieth century. Many
of the issues I'm looking at are relevant today,
since questions of language and nation still dominate
the political landscape. A
lot of current debate, for example, revolves around
the promotion
of Catalan among the area's immigrant population."
"Barcelona
has a thriving cultural scene, and every weekend
seems to host a different
music or art festival. Even
simply wandering the narrow medieval
streets is entertaining, and ubiquitous public
bicycles (like car-sharing,
but on two wheels) make getting around easy. As
for the food,
just about everything is great, from the fresh
fruit to the cured sausage. In
fact, the only thing I recommend avoiding is the
watery local beer,
which makes one homesick for California microbrews.”
To
talk to Allen more about his research and travels
in Barcelona, you may contact
him at allenyoung (at) berkeley (.) edu.
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