La fiesta y los movimientos sociales en la promoción de una identidad de barrio. La "Batalla Naval" de Vallekas

Abstract

Every summer, the people of the district of Puente de Vallecas advocate with a Water War Festival and the slogan «Vallekas, A Seaport» the utopian independence of the area. After analyzing the socio-urban history of this community and the rise and development of the Water Festival, the author reflects upon the role played by ritual in identity-building; more specifically, in the identity of social movements. She also discusses the way in which the dynamics generated by the Festival promotes in practice a certain understanding of the district: since it is a community platform as well as movement from which more democratic action and values can be fostered - as in the early need of handling the most immediate surroundings for the event.