When do you belong to a place? The process of becoming local among immigrants coming from Spain to Azkoitia in the 1950s and 1960s (and among its descendents)

Abstract

This article examines the process of “becoming a local,” focusing on the Spanish immigrants who moved to the village of Azkoitia (Gipuzkoa) over the course of the 1950’s and 60’s. This immigration, being a product of industrialization, entailed a shift from a rural to an urban environment. As a result, the inhabitants were faced with new challenges: the appearance of outlying neighborhoods, the clash between different languages and cultures, and the creation of a new society. The immigrants were not all affected equally by these changes, as space, gender, education, language, and generation all played an important part in this. The process of “becoming from Azkoitia” has been ongoing, and is based upon different identities, particularly the “local” one. This has in turn led to a better understanding of how a new society is created, which requires the acceptance of the receiving society.