Pedro Oiarzabal: "I think that the social aspect of the interactivity of the Internet is the one that the Basque Diaspora needs to capitalize on"

Thirty-five-year-old Pedro Oiarzabal was born in the city of Bilbao. He went to Ireland where he obtained Master of Arts degree on Irish Immigration and later went on to obtain a Master of Philosophy in Economics. After working in many different places, he decided to continue his doctoral studies in Basque migration taking into account the study he did in Irish Migration. He found that the Center for Basque Studies in Reno, Nevada could offer him this opportunity with an English based education and arrived there on August 16, 2001. He recently completed his Ph.D. program on August 4, 2006 by presenting a defense of his dissertation, “The Basque Diaspora Webscape: Online Discourses of Basque Diaspora Identity, Nationhood, and Homeland.”

Did you have any experience with the Basque Diaspora before you came to the US?

I didn’t have much experience with the Basque Diaspora when I first came to the US. In September 1996, I had the opportunity to work in the Gaztemundu program, which my brother Agustín Oiarzabal, a sociologist, designed. By the way, this year the program celebrates its 10th anniversary. In regards to the US Basque Diaspora, the most contact I had is with the American West. But before I actually met the US Basque Diaspora, the most I knew about them was from the books of Jon Bilbao and William Douglass. The book Amerikanuak was my first impression about the Basque sheepherding community. Then for the last 5 years, I had the opportunity to meet the different Basque communities of Idaho, Nevada, and California.

Having had experience with the Basques of North America and South America, what did you learn about them? Any differences, similarities?

I also had the opportunity and privilege to work on a book La Identidad Vasca en el Mundo with my brother. We carried out the research in 2002 and we published the book in 2005. It included participants from 16 different countries, including the Basque Country, and the book is about what Basque identity means in a globalized world. We came up with some very interesting conclusions: Even though they have different socio historical backgrounds, origins, political orientations, and so on, they all share a kind of Basque identity, an “umbrella identity” with different perspectives of what being Basque is. Some people relate strongly to their ancestors, others more to the project of building an independent state in the Basque homeland, and so on. At the end of the day you have a variation of what Basque identity is; different ways of interpreting Basque identity, experiencing Basque identity according to different generations, ages, etc.

The experience of having Basque identity in the Basque Country is mostly monopolized by the whole political issue of being Spanish or being Basque or being French. It seems that there is no middle ground. Then you have another huge experience about what Basque is in the Diaspora, which to some degree is a political identity, but mainly a cultural identity as a way of preserving some traits of culture that attempt to recreate a sense of a unified homeland. There are different ways of looking at the same kind of identities but from different perspectives. It really enriches our experience of what identity is as a social construction as a political ideology, as a cultural artifact. Our goal was to create something for everyone in order to understand what Basque and the different approaches of Basque identities are. And that’s why the book has been extremely successful.

Who was your book La Identidad Vasca en el Mundo aimed at and what kind of reactions have you received?

It is directed to a wide audience and the reaction of the Basques in the homeland has been the most interesting one. There has been a very mixed reaction. The book in a sense is trying to narrow the knowledge and understanding gap that exists between the Basque Country and the Diaspora in order to explore the little misconceptions and the different interpretations of identity, culture, and nation. People are very surprised when they first hear that Basques actually have lived outside the homeland for centuries, and secondly that they have constituted very vibrant communities; very active, culturally and politically and motivated towards the maintenance of Basque identity. I have received many letters and notes from people who read the book; people who appreciate the book and enjoy it and others with mixed reactions as some people interpret the book in a very narrow way, saying “those Basques are not Basques.” When you get into categories of authenticity, “is the Basque homeland identity more pure than the one outside its border?” you get into interesting debates that help you to learn about the different perspectives that different people have, and how they articulate their arguments.

Tell us about your dissertation. What do you mean by institutional Diaspora?

For the last 5 years I worked on a dissertation about the Basque institutional Diaspora. By that I mean institutions as well as associations that the Basque diaspora communities have created as a way of enhancing their different goals, objectives, and activities that could be political, cultural, or social. When we talk about the Euskal Etxeak (Basque Centers, social cultural community-based groups) they are formal institutions that have by-laws, statues, constitutions, and a membership. When we talk about the Basque institutional Diaspora, it’s probably a very natural way of creating a more established relationship between the diverse members within a group.

What would you classify as a non-institutional Diaspora?

You probably know more people outside of a club than inside. Some of my best friends in Reno are part of a Basque-Filipino network. It’s a network of people who have been friends for the past 20, 30, 40 years. They bring together their foods and traditions from the Philippine’s and the Basque Country. This is a non- institutional group. They didn’t come together and write bylaws, or form any kind of legal institution. This type of community networks in the Basque diaspora is what we should study more. Why do not these people join the existing Basque clubs? What do not the clubs offer to them?

Which Basque institutional Diaspora did you focus on?

I studied the Basque institutional Diaspora –not only the Euskal Etxeak, but also educational, cultural, and human rights groups throughout the entire Diaspora. There are different organizations and the most widely known are the Euskal Etxeak because they are the back-bone of the communities. However, I studied all type of Basque diaspora organizations and their presence on the Internet, and how they articulate discourses of identity, nation, and homeland. I looked at the narratives that they have created online by the use of websites. As of November 2005 we know that about 98 associations (63% of total identified associations) of the Basque institutional Diaspora have a presence on the Web. There is a very broad representation of the Basque Diaspora on the Web throughout 16 countries. I studied the content of those websites and interviewed webmasters and representatives of the community. When comparing these organizations, I came up with a series of similarities. Despite the diverse geographical, generational, socioeconomic, and political background they all have a very clear picture of what Basque identity, the Basque nation, and the Basque homeland are. That is what the dissertation is about.

What was one of the most interesting things you learned from working on your dissertation?

The Internet is providing the ability for the Basque institutional Diaspora and Basque individuals to carry out their own activities and to have a voice. The Internet works as a magnifying tool as well as equalizing tool. Say you have one of the oldest institutions in the Diaspora, Buenos Aires, Laurak Bat, created in 1877. Then you have something like the San Nicolas Euskal Etxea in the province of Buenos Aires which is much younger. From the point of view of an outsider, they are seen as very similar associations. On the Internet, here is no hierarchy, no difference between real world associations. For small groups the Web is a platform for raising their own voice. The Internet has given them the ability to tell the Basques in the homeland that they are doing great, and that they are there to defend their culture, to promote it and maintain it.

Will the Internet solve the prominent issues that Basque institutions have today?

The Internet is not going to solve the prominent issues that the Basque institutions may have. For example, generational issues, getting people, and particularly younger people, to join clubs, and so on so forth. The Internet won’t solve these problems, but it provides a tool to make it easier to reach the community, to increase awareness to a global potential audience about Basque identity and culture. In this sense, the Basque Diaspora’s presence on the Web has created its own identity corner. I think the Internet is not here to replace but rather to complement the initiatives and activities carried out throughout the world by Basque individuals and institutions.

What have you learned about the webmasters that you have studied?

It is very striking that 78% percent of the webmasters have a university degree and many are specialized on the Internet, and on information technologies. So we are talking about a well educated webmaster intelligentsia. I think the majority of the Basque diaspora webmasters do understand the function of the Internet and the Web. They understand the capabilities of the Internet, but there is a gap between theory and practice. For example, many webmasters have told me that the Internet is great for interaction but do not offer to their users, members of their association, or the general public any tools for interaction. Similarly, the associations should encourage the use of the Internet and the Web amongst their members and facilitate the work of the webmasters as they are volunteers and they lack of time or resources to maximize the potentiality of the Internet.

How do you see EuskoSare having an impact on the Basque Diaspora?

Although in my five-year long research I don't address the particular issue of initiatives created in the Basque Country which focus on the Basque Diaspora and capitalize on the use of technologies such as the Web, I acknowledge EuskoSare as one of the most invested initiatives in promoting awareness and communication amongst the diverse transnational nodes that unite the Basque global community and which include not only the Diaspora but also the European homeland. Initiatives such as EuskoSare are leading the way on narrowing the knowledge gap between Basques in the Diaspora and Basques in the Basque Country.

Where do you see the Internet 10 years from now?

The Internet is there for anyone to capitalize on. Although it’s not the only tool for Diaspora associations to use, it’s a wonderful tool. I think that if we take into account for example the lower costs of computer software, the associations would be willing to increase the use of the Internet in a much higher rate than now. Ten years ago the first institutional Diaspora website was created in Venezuela, and I cannot envision what the Internet would be like in 10 years or even in two years. It would probably be a more accessible and a more powerful tool in terms, for example of speed, and it would become another mundane commodity, like a microwave or a TV set. As we are witnessing the computer, originally as a working and nowadays an entertaining tool, is not the only platform for us to be online. I think that other platforms such as cell phones, computer-handhelds, or iPods would become greater and more accessible ways to access the Internet and the Web than the computer. The Basque diaspora should seriously consider the different technologies available for communication, interaction as well as for networking, and to some extent for socializing.

How can the Basque Diaspora capitalize on the Internet?

The good thing about the Internet is that it does not only connect computers but those individuals and institutions behind those computers. Consequently there is much room for social networking and interaction. I think that the social aspect of the interactivity of the Internet is the one that the Basque Diaspora needs to capitalize on. They do understand that sending an e-mail between San Francisco and Buenos Aires takes a matter of seconds. We need to implement social networks and implement those technologies for networking. The Basque diaspora institutions can capitalize on this. For example, there is a need for bridging the gap that exists between using technologies and applying them on the real world. We need to put all this theory into practice. For example, FEVA and NABO could get “together” on the Web in order to establish a program of common activities that would reach not only its constituencies but a potential global audience. You could probably create a joint venture between the Oinkari dancers of Boise and the Cordobatarrak dancers of Córdoba, Argentina, and this could be facilitated by new technologies such as the Internet. I think that the Internet can facilitate and help to implement imaginative solutions for daily mundane problems.

It is about bridging the gap that exists between the homeland and the Diaspora as they need to acknowledge each other’s reality, and that we are all different but equal and that my understanding of Basque identity is as valuable as the other person’s interpretation of identity. At the end of the day, the Basque Diaspora is an active actor in the Basque global cybercommunity. The Basque Diaspora is creating cyberculture, which impacts goes beyond their local communities. We are not just talking about the Basque institutions as there are so many individuals who have their own sites, blogs, forums, and communities online. The good thing about this is that we are on the right track; 63% of the Diaspora is part of the Basque cybercommunity.

How can someone access your dissertation?

I have a couple of offers to publish my dissertation in a book format. It will most likely be first published in English, and then we’ll see how it goes in Spanish. I would like to publish some articles so that people can start looking at the data in order to initiate an open discussion. Neither the dissertation nor the books are an end in themselves. They are ways of opening new venues in research. Although I am the one who has done this research, it can be complemented by others to follow in a near future. During my dissertation defense, Bill Douglass said, “you are the pioneer of this new subfield of Basque Studies. I congratulate you for the dissertation and welcome this dissertation. This will be the baseline for new studies.” I appreciated Bill Douglass’ words very much. I think that by disseminating the information through a book or different articles will raise discussions and I would like to hear the opinions of the Basque diaspora cultural activists, representatives of institutions, and, of course, webmasters.

What are your plans for the near future?

I am very thrilled to work on the Urazandi Project which is a collection of the histories of the Basque diaspora communities and their institutions, based on first hand memories of those who emigrated. I will be authoring the Urazandi volume for the Basques of San Francisco. I love San Francisco. It’s a multicultural place. I fell in love with the San Francisco Basque community so it will be a very special project for me. Right now there are about 15 volumes already published on the different Basque clubs, institutions, and communities around the globe. In the 2007 another 3 or 4 volumes will be presented at the Basque Diaspora Congress. This project must complement other studies that have been done and we need to encourage a bottom up approach. We need to encourage young people to understand their own histories, talk to their grandparents, and learn about their own history.

See also Pedro Oiarzabal’s two websites related to his research:
Euskalidentity and Euskaldiaspora