Katie Bethan Smith

• BA Combined Honours (History with Spanish)
• University Expedition 2015: The recent revival of Welsh culture in the Chubut valley, Patagonia

150 year ago this July the ship Mimosa arrived at the shores of southern Argentina. It carried approximately 150 Welsh men, women and children, who became the first permanent settlers of the Chubut province. This years sesquicentennial anniversary of Y Wladfa (The Colony) has sparked a year full of celebrations and commemorations in both Wales and Argentina, strengthening once more their transatlantic link. Prior to 1965 this link had found itself greatly weakened, but the centennial year stimulated a slow resurgence of and commitment to Welsh culture in the Chubut province. This resurgence has been reassured by the continuing efforts of the Welsh Language Project since the late nineties.

This August and September I spent 4 weeks in the Chubut valley with the aim of studying the recent revival of Welsh culture that has occurred there these last 50 years. I attended Welsh cultural events and activities, distributed questionnaires and conducted interviews with members of the Welsh community, with the objective of assessing the role of informal and formal institutions in maintaining Welsh culture, with a particular focus on the importance of education.

Project Supervisor:Dr Keith Brewster

Funding source(s): Newcastle University Expedition Committee, School of History, Classics and Archaeology: Newcastle University