Basques in Boise

Jaialdi 2010, an International Basque cultural festival that anticipates bringing together tens of thousands of people to Boise, Idaho, during the last days of July, is for sure the best place to learn how the Basque people like to party: Lively music, delicious food, sports events, meeting new friends and reacquainting with old ones.

However, this edition won''t only be about partying. A new agent, the Basque Studies Center of Boise State University, will be calling on the Basque academic world when it holds the 7th international Seminar Euskal Herria Mugaz Gaindi during Jaialdi (July 27th-August 1st).

The conference, which takes place every year in a different continent, draws researchers from a wide range of disciplines currently working on issues related to Basque Studies general and specific to the History and Strategies of Basque Migration abroad.

"So far in Idaho, Basque meant wonderful things: The good things in life, food, the Jaialdi festival, kalimotxo, and we have added a new dimension, a deep knowledge and understanding of the history and tradition of the Basque component in these lands," says Alberto Santana, head of the Basque Studies Center of BSU.

The main conference, which won''t take place on the BSU campus but in the Egyptian Theater downtown Boise, is entitled "Euskal Etxea. In the name of the Basque" and will look into the stories behind the names of the Basques in Boise, where they come from and what their surname says about them.

Lectures will cover very different topics such as the history of the Basques in the New World, the Basque language and culture in the Diaspora and the contemporary issues facing Basque Communities abroad.

There will also be lectures about innovative topics, "even provocative", says Santana, such as two from two professors at the Public University of the Basque Country under the titles of "Euskadi''s capital, Madrid" and "Euskadi''s capital, New York", as well as others held via video-conference from distant locations.

"Attendees will have the chance to watch the Science in Basque topics made live," explains Santana.