On Thursday, May 16th, the webinar “Catalonia’s Human Towers: Castells, Cultural Politics, and the Struggle Toward the Heights” took place, featuring Assistant Professor Mariann Vaczi from the University of Reno, Nevada, as the speaker. The event was moderated by Nahuel I. Faedo, Assistant Lecturer at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). Xavier Ginesta, Associate Professor at the UVic-UCC, and Jim O’Brien, researcher at the same university, also participated in the webinar. The event was organized by the SPRING Research Network and the Faculty of Business and Communication of the UVic-UCC.
The aim of the webinar was to present Dr. Vaczi’s new book, titled “Catalonia’s Human Towers: Castells, Cultural Politics, and the Struggle toward the Heights.” The webinar consisted of a brief explanation of each chapter of the book:
-From “People of Farts and Burps” to Crowning the Olympic Games
-The Politics, Erotics, and Social Class of Touch and the Body
-Risking the Fall in Political Rallies
-Rivalry, Antagonism, and Identity Among the Xiquets de Valls
-Bones Have No Gender
-The Grace in Every Child
-At the Height of Death
As Dr. Vaczi explained, building human towers (castells) is an ancient traditional sport where hundreds of men, women, and children gather in Catalan squares to create impressive structures through a collective athletic feat. The result is a great spectacle of effort, tension, and release. “Catalonia’s Human Towers” offers an ethnographic exploration of the thriving castells practice—a symbol of Catalan cultural heritage and identity amid debates around national autonomy and secession from Spain. While the primary purpose of building castells is to foster community through a low-cost, intergenerational, and inclusive leisure activity, Mariann Vaczi reveals how this unique sport also provides a social base, image, and vocabulary for the independence movement.
The webinar concluded with some questions from the attending audience. You can watch it through this link.
