Rethinking tourism narratives on the cultural landscapes of Asturias (Northern Spain) from the perspective of Landscape Archaeology: do archaeologists have anything to say?

Abstract

As in other rural areas in Spain, the Asturian countryside suffers from a profound demographic and economic crisis. Since tourism emerged as one of the main hopes for the reactivation of rural economy, the regional government has made a particular effort in promoting rural tourism. This paper intends to assess the effects that naturalistic and atemporal narratives of Asturian landscapes exert on the rural farming communities, which define the 'tourism imaginaries' as they become established as identity referents not only for visitors, but for the inhabitants of the region themselves. Archaeology can enhance the local communities' agency through the appreciation of cultural values attached to these landscapes. To this end, the diachronic depth of the social and productive processes which shaped the Asturian landscapes is emphasised by relying on Landscape Archaeology. The relevant role played by farmers and herders in these activities merits their involvement in actively designing future policies.

Remote Sensing-Based Analysis of Landscape Pattern Evolution in Industrial Rural Areas: A Case of Southern Jiangsu, China

“…Rural tourism aims to sustain rural architecture and landscapes, thereby promoting creative activities related to the natural and historical backgrounds of rural areas for the appropriate development of these rural landscapes and their cultural heritage. This is also a major pathway in the sustainable development of rural areas [11,12].…”

Transformaciones recientes en los paisajes rurales de la Cordillera Cantábrica (Noroeste Ibérico)

“…Dichas tensiones reflejan, en definitiva, percepciones divergentes sobre los paisajes de montaña del noroeste ibérico. Para ello, trato de relacionar las investigaciones arqueológicas sobre la genealogía cultural de los paisajes altimontanos con aspectos como los procesos de patrimonialización en ámbitos rurales, las prácticas gestoras del patrimonio cultural y natural, o la generación de imaginarios turísticos (Alonso Ayala Rocabado, 2008;Gnecco, 1999;González Álvarez, 2019c;Jofré & Molina Otarola, 2009).…”

“…Además del mantenimiento de la ganadería, sólo el auge del turismo rural es capaz en los últimos años de abrir nuevos nichos para la economía local. Y, paradójicamente, esa incipiente actividad turística descansa en buena medida sobre relatos e "imaginarios turísticos" (Salazar, 2012) que beben de idealizaciones románticas de los paisajes campesinos locales (González Álvarez, 2019c). De todo este proceso de cambios y transformaciones, los paisajes de la Cordillera Cantábrica albergan innumerables trazas materiales.…”

Casas y cambio cultural: metodología interdisciplinar para el estudio del espacio construido en la España rural contemporánea

“…Therefore, the study of cultural change in these highly localized contexts cannot be understood without taking into account the broader global processes we have investigated in relation to our study area within the last few years. Social, demographic or productive changes affecting the evolution of the European countryside intersect with phenomena such as the transition to service sector economies and the rise of cultural tourism (González Álvarez 2019). Other factors have been the real-estate bubbles and associated corruption and patronage networks (Alonso González 2017b; Alonso González et al 2018; Alonso González and Macías Vázquez 2014), as well as the heritagization of European rural areas based on urban imaginaries that reify and essentialize the rural areas as an unchanging reality (Alonso González 2017a; Alonso González and González Álvarez 2016).…”