Espiello 2025 #2: Memory, Cinema, and the Festival

by | Mar 7, 2025 | Culture, Film Reviews, Geo-Storytelling, Pedagogy, Spain

Inhabiting Oblivion, Preserving Memory

For twenty-two years, Espiello has transformed the Sobrarbe region of the Spanish Pyrenees into a site of cinematic reflection, where ethnographic documentary serves as both a mirror and a bridge. This year’s edition, themed Memoria: Habitando el Olvido (Memory: Inhabiting Oblivion), invites audiences to engage with films that explore the fragility of cultural memory, the ways in which histories are preserved, erased, or reinterpreted, and how communities negotiate their pasts in the present.

Memory, as both a concept and a lived experience, is deeply tied to geography. The landscapes of the Pyrenees hold the echoes of oral traditions, historical migrations, and political struggles. At Espiello, these landscapes intertwine with cinematic narratives, reminding us that memory is not just about the past—it is an ongoing, dynamic process that informs identity, place, and belonging.

This year’s Espiello takes on new urgency as societies worldwide grapple with collective memory and the forces of historical amnesia. Whether through political upheaval, climate change, or urban transformation, communities are continuously renegotiating their relationship to the past. This year’s films serve as testimonies to that process, ensuring that voices, places, and traditions that might otherwise fade into obscurity remain present in the cultural consciousness.

As Sobrarbe welcomes filmmakers, anthropologists, and audiences once again, the festival’s imagined geography takes shape, offering a space where cultures connect through film, discussion, and shared experience.

 

The Imagined Geography of Espiello: A Festival as a Cultural Crossroads

Like previous editions, Espiello 2025 is more than a festival—it is a temporary village, a community built through storytelling. Over the course of ten days, Boltaña becomes a gathering point where the boundaries between local and global, past and present, dissolve. The festival functions as a living ethnographic space, where filmmakers from across the world bring their own landscapes and histories, mapping their experiences onto Sobrarbe’s mountainous terrain.

This ephemeral yet enduring sense of place is what makes Espiello unique. Unlike urban film festivals with sprawling venues and industry-driven programming, Espiello maintains an intimate, community-oriented atmosphere. The festival’s sections—Espiello Pirineos, Espiello d’Arredol, Anvistas, Falorias, and Cachimalla—reinforce a commitment to regional storytelling while connecting with global ethnographic cinema. In each screening and discussion, the festival becomes a meeting ground where different ways of knowing and remembering take center stage.

This year’s theme, Memory: Inhabiting Oblivion, deepens Espiello’s role as a site of historical reflection. What does it mean to inhabit oblivion? How do communities make sense of what has been forgotten or erased? These are not just questions for historians or anthropologists—they are questions for all of us, as individuals and as members of collective identities that are shaped by what we choose to remember.

 

Film Selections: Mapping Memory through Cinema

The official competition lineup features 16 carefully selected documentaries from nearly 500 submissions, each offering a perspective on memory’s role in shaping identity. These films span continents, cultures, and histories, but they are united in their exploration of how memory is woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Here are the selected films for Espiello 2025:

“Sau: la memòria submergida” (Sau: The Submerged Memory) – An exploration of the remnants of a flooded Catalan village, questioning what is lost and what remains when a place disappears.

“Minga en Tenaún” – A Chilean documentary about the minga tradition, in which entire communities come together to move houses across great distances, symbolizing the migration of both people and memories.

“El arte de los analfabetos” (The Art of the Illiterate) – A Spanish film examining oral storytelling traditions and the power of non-written histories in preserving cultural heritage.

“La jeune fille, les chouettes et les hommes lions” – A documentary from Chad that delves into indigenous folklore and its role in environmental knowledge.

“Las Voces del Olvido” (Voices of Oblivion) – A Mexican documentary featuring testimonies of elders whose oral histories challenge official narratives of national history.

“Echoes of the Steppe” – A Kazakh documentary exploring the impact of Soviet collectivization on nomadic communities and how their descendants reconstruct cultural memory.

“Griot Chronicles” – A West African documentary on how oral historians preserve and transmit community identity through music and storytelling.

“The Silence of the Land” – A French-Belgian collaboration investigating the displacement of rural populations due to urban expansion and its effects on generational memory.

“Tattooed Histories” – A Japanese documentary exploring the cultural significance of traditional tattoos as symbols of identity and resistance.

“El Camino del Maíz” (The Path of Corn) – A Guatemalan documentary on the role of corn in Indigenous worldviews and the threats posed by agricultural industrialization.

“Tierra de Nadie” (No Man’s Land) – A documentary from Palestine chronicling how changing borders impact personal and collective memory.

“The Water We Remember” – A Canadian documentary examining Indigenous water protectors and the spiritual connections to ancestral waters.

“Threads of Exile” – A Portuguese film following the stories of exiles from colonial Angola, connecting personal histories to larger political changes.

“La Memoria que Canta” (The Memory That Sings) – A Peruvian documentary about Andean musicians who preserve historical narratives through song.

“Forgotten Names” – A Polish documentary reconstructing family histories lost during World War II through recovered letters and documents.

“Daughters of the Desert” – An Iranian documentary profiling women poets who use literature as an act of defiance and remembrance.

“The Border’s Echo” – A US-Mexico documentary exploring the stories of migrants and how they carry their histories across shifting borders.

Each of these films presents a distinct vision of memory, whether through the landscapes that shape it, the voices that carry it, or the struggles to preserve it in the face of erasure.

The Siñal d’Onor Espiello will be awarded to the Asociación por la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica de Aragón (ARMHA), recognizing their work in rescuing Spain’s forgotten histories. Meanwhile, Eugenio Monesma, a lifelong documentarian of Pyrenean traditions, receives the Siñal Mayestros, honoring his dedication to cultural preservation through film.

 

Beyond the Screen: Espiello as a Community-Engaged Festival

Espiello is not confined to the darkened theater. It extends into public discussions, artistic exhibitions, and educational workshops that turn the entire region into an immersive learning experience. Among the standout activities this year:

Theatrical Performance – “Olvido” by Biribú Teatro, a play that humorously unpacks the bureaucratic archiving of history, questioning what is remembered and what is left behind.

Exhibitions on Historical Memory curated by ARMHA, including Mujeres Republicanas. Un Sueño Frustrado (Republican Women: A Frustrated Dream) and Una Utopía Necesaria. La Educación en la II República (A Necessary Utopia: Education in the Second Republic).

Cine bajo las Estrellas (Cinema Under the Stars), where selected documentaries will be screened in small villages throughout Sobrarbe, reinforcing the festival’s rural and communal ethos.

Collaborations with the University of Madrid and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, bringing students and scholars into direct dialogue with filmmakers.

The festival’s commitment to linguistic diversity is evident in the Espiello Agora x l’Aragonés section, celebrating films produced in Aragonese, a language that has fought against historical erasure. The screening of “Baitico, l’ombre-libro de la Valle Bielsa”, documenting one of the last native speakers of the Belsetán dialect, highlights the fragile yet resilient nature of cultural memory.

 

Espiello 2025 as a Living Archive

At its core, Espiello is an archive in motion—a living, breathing documentation of memory, identity, and place. In its twenty-second edition, the festival reaffirms its role as a custodian of intangible heritage, a space where cultures reflect on themselves and on each other through the lens of documentary filmmaking.

As audiences settle into the ochre and black seats of the Palacio de Congresos, the festival’s signature brass mortar sounds, signaling the beginning of another screening, another journey into memory. And for those who participate—filmmakers, scholars, and locals alike—Espiello is not just a festival. It is a communal act of remembering, a place where forgotten stories find voice, and where the past becomes an ever-present guide to the future.

Bienvenidos a Espiello 2025. Let the festival begin.

Espiello 2025 #1: Film, Place, and Cultural Geography

by | Mar 1, 2025 | Culture, Film Reviews, Geo-Storytelling, Pedagogy, Spain

A Festival That Transforms Place

Each spring, in the heart of the Pyrenees, a film festival reshapes the small town of Boltaña into a space of cultural exchange. The Espiello International Ethnographic Documentary Festival is more than a showcase of films; it constructs an imagined geography—a village where filmmakers, scholars, and audiences engage in a shared exploration of human experience.

Since its inception in 2003, Espiello has positioned itself as a bridge between anthropology, filmmaking, and community storytelling. Its name, meaning “mirror” in Aragonés, reflects its function: a space where diverse cultures see themselves and others, engaging in a dialogue about representation, identity, and change. More than just an event, Espiello is an imagined place, a temporary village where cultural narratives are lived, exchanged, and remembered.

The transformation of Boltaña into Espiello reflects a broader pattern seen in temporary cultural geographies, where festivals momentarily reshape the meaning of a location. Just as other major festivals like Sundance or Sheffield DocFest generate alternative mappings of their urban and rural settings, Espiello reconfigures Sobrarbe as a center for cultural dialogue. Unlike large metropolitan festivals, however, Espiello’s impact lingers within a smaller, more intimate environment, where the community actively engages with the narratives it helps to host.

The Imagined Geography of Espiello

Place is more than location; it emerges from relationships, narratives, and lived experiences. Espiello exists beyond the stone walls of Boltaña, shaped by the collective imagination of those who take part. The festival organizers have crafted an imaginary village, mapping out symbolic roles and spaces that give Espiello an identity beyond the physical.

In this village, award-winning filmmakers become “mayors,” jurors serve as “council members,” and festival attendees actively shape the festival’s evolving story. The streets of this metaphorical town are named after past winning documentaries, and every edition of the festival becomes another layer in its growing history. Espiello is both real and symbolic, demonstrating how a cultural event transforms space into a meaningful, participatory geography.

The festival’s spatial dynamics resemble other forms of ephemeral place-making, where temporary events leave lasting impressions on landscapes. While major festivals create short-lived economic hubs, Espiello fosters a cultural memoryscape, a space where storytelling builds upon itself year after year. This approach positions the festival within the broader discussion of how cultural events generate a sense of belonging even in places where participants have no permanent ties.

 

Ethnographic Film as a Medium of Place-Making

Ethnographic documentaries do more than record cultures; they construct interpretations of place, identity, and belonging. The films shown at Espiello offer windows into the lived experiences of people across diverse landscapes, revealing more than their daily lives but the broader cultural, economic, and historical forces that shape them.

Through self-representation, Espiello challenges traditional ethnographic paradigms that have historically relied on outsider perspectives. Instead, the festival prioritizes films where communities tell their own stories, shifting the balance of representation and reinforcing the idea that place is not something to be observed from a distance but experienced and articulated from within.

This approach is significant in a world where cultural narratives are often shaped by dominant media industries. Espiello amplifies voices that might otherwise be overlooked, highlighting rural, Indigenous, and marginalized communities whose stories challenge mainstream assumptions about identity and change. The festival’s commitment to reflexivity ensures that ethnographic film remains a dialogue rather than a static representation, allowing both filmmakers and audiences to critically engage with questions of cultural authenticity and agency.

The role of ethnographic film in mapping cultural landscapes is crucial. The camera functions as an instrument of place-making, capturing and framing realities that are sometimes invisible to those outside of them. Many films presented at Espiello contribute to a collective visual archive, documenting how places evolve, how communities struggle and survive, and how identity is negotiated within changing environments.

 

The Local Impact of Film Festivals: Sobrarbe as a Case Study

Espiello is deeply rooted in the local geography of Sobrarbe. Film festivals, particularly those with an ethnographic focus, have the power to redefine the cultural and economic landscapes of the places that host them. For Sobrarbe, Espiello is more than an annual event—it is a catalyst for cultural engagement, education, and economic sustainability.

Unlike major urban festivals, Espiello brings high-caliber documentary filmmaking to a rural community, demonstrating that cultural events need not be confined to metropolitan centers. It offers an alternative model where film serves as a tool for rural development, bringing tourism, academic engagement, and local pride to an area that has historically been on the margins of Spain’s cinematic and cultural circuits.

Moreover, by integrating educational initiatives, community discussions, and exhibitions, Espiello extends its impact beyond the festival itself. Schools, local organizations, and residents become part of the dialogue, engaging with the themes and films presented. In doing so, the festival strengthens local identity while connecting Sobrarbe to broader conversations about ethnography, representation, and storytelling.

The festival’s impact extends to how Sobrarbe is perceived externally. Just as ethnographic documentaries help frame the cultural identity of distant places, Espiello shapes how the Pyrenean region is understood by audiences far beyond Spain. By curating films that explore not only Sobrarbe’s cultural landscape but also those of similar rural communities across the world, the festival contributes to a re-mapping of place in global cultural networks.

 

Espiello as an Evolving Cultural Geography

Espiello demonstrates that film festivals shape cultural landscapes, serving as spaces of exchange where identities are formed, histories are preserved, and new ways of belonging emerge. By constructing an imagined geography where filmmakers, audiences, and local communities intersect, Espiello expands the meaning of place itself.

It is more than a showcase of ethnographic documentaries; it is an active site where place is made through storytelling, shared experiences, and the ongoing dialogue between tradition and transformation. Espiello reminds us that cinema is not only about representation but about participation—about creating spaces where cultures are not merely observed but actively lived and understood.

For those who attend, Espiello is more than a festival in Sobrarbe. It is a village, a community, an experience—one that continues to grow, adapt, and reflect the world it seeks to illuminate. The imagined geography it creates does not vanish once the festival ends. It lingers in the minds of participants, in the continued dialogue between filmmakers and audiences, and in the evolving identity of the region itself.

The festival offers a model for how temporary cultural spaces leave lasting imprints, shaping the landscapes they inhabit and the communities that participate in them. Espiello, in its ephemeral yet enduring nature, is a testament to the power of film in shaping not only how we see the world—but how we belong to it.

The Gulf of _______: Identity, Power, and the Geopolitics of Place Names

by | Jan 10, 2025 | Cartographics, Culture, Geographers, Pedagogy

What’s in a Name?

Place names carry power. They encode history, assert identity, and reflect political ideologies. The recent proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” championed by former and current U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump, has ignited a heated debate. Trump’s comments, framing the name change as a matter of national pride, were met with a mix of support and ridicule domestically. Internationally, the reaction was more pointed, with Mexico’s new President Claudia Sheinbaum humorously suggesting that the United States be renamed “Mexican America” in a nod to historical maps and shared histories. These exchanges highlight how deeply place names intersect with geopolitics and cultural identity.

Here we explore the implications of such a renaming effort, offering insights into why place names matter and how they shape our understanding of the world.

 

Historical Context of Place Naming

Throughout history, the naming and renaming of places have been tools of power. Colonizers often renamed lands to assert control, erasing indigenous identities and histories in the process. For example, during European colonization, places like New Amsterdam became New York, reflecting shifts in political dominance.

Controversies over place names are not new. The dispute over the “Persian Gulf” versus “Arabian Gulf” exemplifies how naming can become a proxy for larger geopolitical tensions. Similarly, the transition from Macedonia to North Macedonia demonstrates the complexities of balancing national identity and international diplomacy. The Gulf of Mexico—a name steeped in centuries of shared history among the United States, Mexico, and Cuba—is now at the center of a similar debate.

 

Cultural and Political Significance of the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is more than just a body of water. It is a cultural and economic lifeline for the countries that border it. Its name reflects centuries of shared history, from indigenous civilizations to colonial exchanges and modern trade.

Renaming it the “Gulf of America” would not only disregard its historical and cultural significance but also risk alienating Mexico and Cuba, who have long-standing ties to the region. Such a move could be perceived as an assertion of U.S. dominance, undermining the cooperative spirit that has historically governed the Gulf.

 

Geopolitical Implications of Renaming

Unilaterally renaming the Gulf of Mexico has profound geopolitical implications. It risks being seen as a symbolic act of American exceptionalism, reinforcing perceptions of U.S. hegemony in the region. For Mexico and Cuba, the renaming could be interpreted as a disregard for their sovereignty and historical claims to the Gulf.

International recognition of such a change would be another hurdle. Organizations like the United Nations and the International Hydrographic Organization play a critical role in standardizing place names. Without their endorsement, the new name might remain unrecognized on global maps and documents, further complicating its adoption.

 

Identity and Nationalism in Place Names

Place names are powerful markers of identity. The proposed renaming of the Gulf of Mexico reflects a surge in nationalistic sentiment within the United States. By labeling it the “Gulf of America,” proponents aim to assert a distinctly American identity over a shared geographic feature.

However, this approach risks oversimplifying and overwriting the region’s multicultural heritage. Place names are not merely labels; they are narratives. Changing the Gulf’s name would erase layers of history that connect it to indigenous peoples, colonial powers, and neighboring nations.

 

The Politics of Memory

Renaming a place reshapes collective memory. It reframes history in ways that can either unite or divide communities. The Gulf of Mexico’s current name serves as a reminder of the interconnected histories of the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba. Changing it would disrupt this shared narrative, privileging one perspective over others.

The renaming effort also raises questions about whose history is being remembered and whose is being erased. In an era where there is growing awareness of the need to honor diverse narratives, renaming the Gulf may appear tone-deaf and counterproductive.

 

Comparative Case Studies

The global landscape offers numerous examples of contested or successful place renaming efforts that reveal lessons about identity, power, and reconciliation. For instance:

  1. Burma to Myanmar: This renaming reflects an internal governance shift but remains controversial internationally due to its association with a military regime. It underscores the challenges of achieving global consensus on name changes.
  2. Bombay to Mumbai: India’s renaming of Bombay to Mumbai was part of a broader effort to reclaim indigenous identity while navigating the economic and cultural significance tied to its colonial name.
  3. Sea of Japan vs. East Sea: This ongoing dispute between Japan and Korea highlights how unresolved historical grievances can transform place names into geopolitical flashpoints.
  4. Rhodesia to Zimbabwe: A pivotal change that symbolized decolonization and national identity. While celebrated domestically, it required significant international adaptation.
  5. Derry/Londonderry: In Northern Ireland, this dual naming reflects ongoing tensions between different cultural and political groups, showing how renaming can also act as a compromise to acknowledge contested identities.

These cases illustrate the importance of historical accuracy, cultural significance, and diplomacy in managing naming disputes.

 

The Future of Geopolitical Naming in a Globalized World

In a globalized world, naming disputes are likely to increase as nations seek to assert their identities in an interconnected landscape. Digital maps and global communication further complicate these debates, as the visibility of place names takes on greater significance.

The Gulf of Mexico renaming proposal highlights the need for inclusive and diplomatic approaches to such disputes. Rather than imposing a unilateral change, nations must engage in dialogue to find solutions that honor shared histories and foster cooperation.

 

Gulf of ______

The renaming of the Gulf of Mexico—or any prominent geographical feature—is far more than a simple act of rebranding; it is a reflection of deeper power dynamics, historical narratives, and cultural identities. While advocates for the “Gulf of America” name may argue that it asserts national pride, such a change risks sidelining the intricate and shared histories of the region. The Gulf is not merely a U.S. waterway; it is a space of connection, trade, and history among the United States, Mexico, and Cuba.

Critically, this debate reveals how place names serve as both tools of power and repositories of memory. Renaming the Gulf might strengthen certain nationalist narratives, but it could simultaneously erase others, fostering resentment rather than unity. In an interconnected and historically complex region like the Gulf, unilateral actions risk damaging diplomatic relations and disregarding the pluralistic heritage that defines the space.

Ultimately, decisions about renaming geographical features should be approached with caution, sensitivity, and a recognition of the broader implications. Engaging in collaborative, multilateral discussions can help ensure that such changes reflect not only the aspirations of one nation but also the shared histories and futures of all stakeholders. The power of a name lies in its ability to tell a story; in this case, the story of the Gulf of Mexico is one that belongs to many voices, not just one.

 

Does anyone know what this body of water was called before the colonizers arrived?

Bridging Briet

by | Dec 16, 2024 | Book Reviews, Geo-Storytelling, Geographers, Spain

Review of El Pirineo sin Briet 

by Ánchel Belmonte Ribas and Lise Laporte

In 2017, I walked for nearly forty days along the GR-11, the famed Transpirenaica footpath, tracing the Pyrenees on the Spanish side, end-to-end, from Irun to Cap de Creus. Alongside Sonia Ibáñez Pérez, I traversed the Basque Country, Navarre, Aragón, Andorra and Catalonia with the goal of reciprocating the longer five-month walk we completed along my own birthplace mountains–the Appalachians–back in 2013*. We were walking her mountains.  Walks were–and still are–our mode of inquiry, our way of knowing a place–albeit by making mere transect lines through both the complex human and natural landscapes and layers.  

The Transpirenaica walk left me wanting more of the Pyrenees—not just for the physical challenge but for the way it deepened my connection to its landscape and stories. Seven years later, now living in Sobrarbe in Alto Aragón, in the shadow of the Pyrenees and learning Aragonés, I’ve embarked on a new expedition—a deeper dive into the region’s human geographies and how they intersect with its wild beauty.

Reading El Pirineo sin Briet, by geologist Ánchel Belmonte Ribas and cultural expert Lise Laporte, feels like an extension of that journey—a next step in a way of seeing the Pyrenees not just as a place of physical challenge but as a shared cultural and natural treasure. This is a book that transcends time and disciplines. At its heart, it is a celebration of Lucien Briet, the early 20th-century photographer, writer, and explorer whose images and advocacy shaped how the Pyrenees are imagined, experienced, and, most crucially, conserved.

This book is an homage to Briet’s enduring vision, but it is also much more: it is a story of change, both in the landscape and in how we perceive it. It bridges art and science, memory and modernity, and asks us to consider what the Pyrenees mean in an age of unprecedented environmental transformation.

 

Lucien Briet: A Visionary and Advocate

For those, like me, who are relative newcomers to the Pyrenees, Lucien Briet (1860-1921) is both an anchor and a touchstone—a figure whose vision helps us understand the enduring allure of these mountains. Born in Paris, Briet was not merely a traveler but a pireneísta, a passionate student and lover of the Pyrenees. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he ventured deep into the region, capturing its grandeur through thousands of photographs and detailed writings that revealed its cultural and ecological essence.

Briet’s photography opened the Pyrenees to audiences far beyond its summits and valleys, bringing alive a wilderness that might otherwise have remained invisible to ever-growing urban audiences. His artistry framed the mountains as places of significance—spaces deserving not only admiration but protection. Yet Briet’s impact went far beyond the photographic.  His 1913 book, Bellezas del Alto Aragón, chronicled explorations through Ordesa valley, along the Ara river, and into the Mascún canyon and Escoaín gorges, alongside iconic sites like the Peña Montañesa, the Marboré massif, and the Sierra de Guara.

Most notable, Briet was one of the earliest advocates for conservation, recognizing the risks posed by industrial expansion and unchecked tourism. His tireless efforts helped pave the way for the creation of Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park in 1918—one of Spain’s first protected areas and a living monument to his legacy.

In El Pirineo sin Briet, Belmonte and Laporte center Briet’s work as both a cultural bridge and a moral imperative. They revisit the exact places Briet once photographed, offering not just comparisons but invitations to reflect on what has changed and what remains. By curating Briet’s vision alongside their own contemporary explorations, the authors remind us that landscapes—like heritage—are never static but require our active participation to preserve.

 

The Changing Landscape of the Pyrenees 

At the heart of El Pirineo sin Briet lies an exploration of the sweeping transformations that have shaped the Pyrenees over the past century. Drawing on Ánchel Belmonte’s geological precision and Lise Laporte’s cultural insights, the authors provide a multidimensional portrait of a landscape in flux. Each carefully curated chapter uncovers new layers of adaptation, resilience, and interconnected change.

The Pyrenees: A Stage of Change

The Pyrenees are presented as a dynamic stage where natural forces and human activities intertwine, shaping valleys, peaks, and rivers into evolving narratives. By tracing this interplay, the authors emphasize the mountains’ role as both a witness to and participant in centuries of change.

A Brief Recent Climatic History of the Pyrenees

Climate shifts over the last century have left their mark on the Pyrenees, from subtle changes in temperature to more pronounced shifts in precipitation patterns. These variations ripple through ecosystems, reshaping glaciers, altering vegetation, and redefining rivers. 

The Landscape That [Almost] Doesn’t Change

Some elements of the Pyrenees appear impervious to time—ancient rock formations and ecosystems that have withstood millennia. The juxtaposition of these constants with areas undergoing rapid transformation invites reflection: how long can these enduring features remain untouched in a world of accelerating change?

Summits and Slopes: Spaces of Transition

High-altitude zones of the Pyrenees, where life exists on the edge, emerge as fragile yet revealing spaces. Changes in vegetation creeping higher and signs of erosion accelerating point to the impacts of climate shifts even in these extreme environments.  Photographs of San Nicolás de Bujaruelo capture this convergence of natural and cultural landscapes. The medieval bridge over the Río Ara stands as a timeless testament to human connection with the mountains, inviting a deeper contemplation of the relationship between preservation and transformation.  The Transpirenaica crosses the bridge.  

Rivers: The Great Connectors

Rivers thread through the Pyrenean landscape, linking ecosystems, histories, and communities. Yet, human interventions—damming, sediment transport disruptions, and water management—have altered their flow and meaning. These waterways, once symbols of continuity, now also reflect the layered consequences of human impact.

Glaciers: The Great Change

The retreat of glaciers is portrayed through a powerful pairing of Briet’s stark historical photographs with vivid contemporary images. The resulting contrasts reveal not just loss but the interconnected nature of this transformation, impacting rivers, ecosystems, and cultural identity. Rather than reducing glaciers to symbols of despair, the authors use them to provoke reflection on resilience and responsibility. Their comparative methodology offers visual evidence of environmental change, transcending the oversimplified narratives often found in media discussions **.

 

A Visual and Multidisciplinary Dialogue

The pairing of Lucien Briet’s historical photographs with modern images taken from the same vantage points is one of the book’s triumphs. Belmonte’s precision as a photographer and geologist creates a “temporal map,” offering tangible evidence of change while evoking both awe and concern.   

Lise Laporte complements this with a cultural lens that highlights the significance of heritage and memory. Together, their collaboration transforms the book into more than an academic or artistic exercise—it becomes a meditation on time and place. The inclusion of detailed GPS coordinates invites readers to embark on their own expeditions, underscoring the book’s interactive spirit. This interactivity transforms the book into more than a static artifact—it becomes a guide for readers to engage actively with the Pyrenees, to follow Briet’s footsteps and create their own visual and emotional dialogues.

 

A Shared Geography

For me, El Pirineo sin Briet helps reframe the walk along the Transpirenaica–transporting me back but also beyond simple snapshots taken in 2017. The book visualizes the fact that geological change can happen in 7 years or 100, challenging this human geographer’s misinformed notion that all geomorphology is slow and ultimately fixed on a hard-to-count scale of eternal geological time.  Before this book, I didn’t yet know Lucien Briet, nor did I consider how much the Pyrenees had changed in the heavily industrialized 20th century. Reading this book deepened my understanding of the Pyrenees as a living, breathing landscape—alive with memory, shaped by history, and vulnerable to our choices.

The book’s final chapter, El Pirineo del Futuro (The Pyrenees of Tomorrow), leaves me asking:  In what ways do the historical transformations documented in this book guide future conservation efforts?  How are communities in the Pyrenees already adapting to ongoing changes, and how can their voices shape the region’s future?  What can the Pyrenees teach us about resilience, both ecological and cultural, in the face of global challenges?  Are there ways to reinvigorate sustainable practices that have been abandoned over time, such as traditional agriculture and herding, to harmonize human activity with environmental preservation?  How can the tools of art and storytelling, exemplified by this book, help us to cultivate a deeper, more empathetic relationship with changing landscapes?

The book provides no easy answers because that is not its purpose. The authors give us a map and coordinates and remind us that the exploration—and responsibility—is ours to undertake.

 

A Legacy of Imagination, Action, and Reflection

At its core, El Pirineo sin Briet is both a celebration and a challenge. It celebrates the enduring legacy of Lucien Briet, whose vision of the Pyrenees as spaces of awe, wonder, and significance laid the foundation for their conservation. His photographs and writings transformed the Pyrenees from remote wilderness into cherished cultural and natural heritage. Yet the book goes beyond mere celebration, challenging readers to confront the changing landscapes of the Pyrenees and consider their role in shaping the region’s future.

Belmonte and Laporte use Briet’s work as a foundation to explore the dynamic interplay of memory, change, and responsibility that defines these mountains today. Their ability to blend art and science, emotion and intellect, is one of the book’s greatest achievements. By juxtaposing Briet’s historical photographs with modern imagery, they transform abstract discussions of environmental change into something viscerally tangible: glaciers retreating, vegetation shifting, and rivers reshaped by time and human activity. Belmonte’s geological expertise anchors the narrative with scientific rigor, while Laporte’s cultural reflections infuse the story with historical and emotional depth.

Ultimately, El Pirineo sin Briet is more than a book; it is a time capsule, a scientific treatise, and a call to action. It reminds us of the fragility and beauty of the natural world while challenging us to reflect on our roles in shaping its future. Through Lucien Briet’s lens, Belmonte and Laporte rekindle our connection to the Pyrenees and inspire us to protect its enduring legacy.

As Fernando Pessoa’s epigraph reminds us, “What we see is not made of what we see, but of what we are.” El Pirineo sin Briet invites us to reflect on how landscapes—like the Pyrenees—not only reveal their essence but also shape who we are. In an age of climate uncertainty, there is no greater act of hope than imagining—and preserving—the futures we want for generations to come.

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*For more on the Appalachian Trail, listen to EPISODE TWENTY NINE: A Great American Pilgrimage (March 25, 2017) of Geographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing when we explore the 3500 kilometer walk from Maine to Georgia in the Eastern woods of the United States traversing the ridge-line of the oldest mountains in the world, the Appalachians. 

** For more on media representation in the age of climate change, listen to EPISODE FIFTY EIGHT: Poster Bear (November 23, 2019) of Geographical Imaginations: Radio Expeditions into the Geographies of Everything and Nothing.  This episode is the second part of a two-episode exploration of two polar bears—the one that travels along the ice and the other one that circulates in the media.

The Americans: Mapping the Cold War Within

by | Dec 6, 2024 | Cartographics, Film Reviews, Musings

The Americans (2013–2018) delves into the quiet, unnerving duality of espionage during the Cold War—not in grand, sweeping battles of ideology, but in the most intimate spaces of identity, family, and loyalty. At its core, The Americans asks what it means to live between worlds and examines the invisible lines we draw within ourselves and between those we love. I would argue that while the show’s premise revolves around espionage, its real territory is psychological, exploring the inner landscapes of duty, deception, and identity formation.

Identity as Terrain: Navigating the Self in Two Worlds

The most powerful exploration in The Americans is that of identity as a shifting, unstable terrain. Philip and Elizabeth Jennings are tasked with an impossible balancing act: they must fully inhabit an American identity to avoid detection, while maintaining loyalty to a Soviet self that is constantly tested and redefined. Over time, this split existence erodes the clear boundaries of who they are, not only to others but to themselves. The resulting tension is profound: The Americans is less a series about spying and more a meditation on identity as contested ground.

Elizabeth and Philip’s transformation over time speaks to the concept of performative identity—the idea that identity is not fixed but is constantly constructed through our interactions and performances in the world. For Philip, the act of being American gradually ceases to be a mere role and starts to reshape his sense of self, making him question the beliefs he’s fought to uphold. Elizabeth, on the other hand, resists this transformation, seeing American life as an artifice, a performance necessary only for her mission.

For viewers, this raises complex questions: Can we sustain an identity built on deception? And how much of ourselves are we willing to sacrifice for loyalty to something greater? Philip’s quiet struggle with these questions plays out in subtle but deeply impactful ways, reminding us that identity is not only a matter of birth or nationality but something that is shaped and reshaped with each choice, each action, and each compromise.

The Family as Cartography of Conflict

What makes The Americans exceptional is its exploration of family as a landscape of ideological conflict. For the Jennings, family life is a delicate balancing act of authenticity and deceit. Every interaction with their children Paige and Henry becomes a navigational challenge, forcing Philip and Elizabeth to conceal not only their missions but their very selves. This concealment turns family life into a territory fraught with unspoken loyalties and dangerous half-truths, where love and duty constantly clash.

As Paige grows older, she begins to intuit the fissures within her family and the inconsistencies between her parents’ actions and their words. This shift in the family dynamic forces Philip and Elizabeth to confront the consequences of their double lives: What does it mean to raise children in a home built on secrets? And can a family truly be a safe space when it’s embedded in deception?

Paige’s gradual awareness of her parents’ true identities introduces a further complexity. She becomes a kind of cultural intermediary, pulled between the American values she has internalized and the Soviet ideology her parents try to instill. Her journey of discovery not only destabilizes the family but also becomes a map of conflicted generational and ideological loyalty. In this way, the family is more than a unit of love and security; it becomes a terrain where identities collide, boundaries are drawn and redrawn, and conflicting loyalties shape each member in unpredictable ways.

Intimate Geographies of Loyalty and Deception

Loyalty in The Americans operates not in sweeping patriotic gestures but in the daily, quiet decisions to stay committed to a cause, a country, or a person. Philip and Elizabeth’s work forces them to become cartographers of intimacy, mapping out which parts of themselves they can safely reveal and which must be hidden, even from each other. Their marriage, initially a practical arrangement, becomes an intricate choreography of loyalty and betrayal, where both intimacy and secrecy are forms of survival.

Their interactions with others—friends, lovers, neighbors—further blur the lines between the personal and the ideological. Stan Beeman, their FBI agent neighbor, becomes both friend and potential threat, illustrating the fragile borders of loyalty and deception that define their world. With each passing season, the Jennings’ loyalty to their Soviet mission is continually tested not by external forces but by the quiet, powerful pull of personal connections they form on American soil.

This exploration of loyalty as a geography of the self highlights the idea that commitment to a cause is not simply about allegiance to a nation but a process of self-definition. For Elizabeth, loyalty is ironclad—a sense of duty embedded so deeply in her that it becomes the bedrock of her identity. Philip, however, feels the instability of that ground. As his connections deepen within American society, his loyalty to the Soviet mission falters, underscoring how loyalty is not a fixed point on a map but a shifting landscape, shaped by relationships, emotions, and the erosion of ideological clarity.

Emotional Surveillance and the Weight of Invisibility

Surveillance in The Americans is not just about watching and being watched; it’s about living with the constant weight of invisibility and the existential loneliness that comes with it. Philip and Elizabeth live under intense pressure to conceal their true identities, and this invisibility takes a toll. In some ways, they are always in hiding—not just from others but from themselves. This existential surveillance shapes every aspect of their lives, creating an unspoken understanding that at any moment, a misstep could unravel everything.

But this surveillance is not limited to their roles as spies; it permeates their family life, where the “normalcy” they must project to their children is yet another form of concealment. Philip’s growing fatigue and disillusionment reflect the toll of constantly surveilling his own behavior, thoughts, and even emotions. For Elizabeth, this internal surveillance becomes an almost militant form of self-control, a refusal to let sentimentality or vulnerability penetrate her resolve.

In this way, The Americans explores surveillance as an inner geography of confinement, showing how people can become both the watchers and the watched in their own lives. The Jennings’ experience reveals how ideological commitment can restrict the self, forcing them to police their own emotions and thoughts in ways that slowly but surely erode their identities. It’s a stark reminder of the human cost of ideological warfare, where the mind becomes the battleground and the self is both weapon and casualty.

Conclusion: The Inner Cartographies of Espionage and Identity

The Americans is, at its heart, an exploration of the landscapes we create within ourselves. While espionage may be the series’ surface appeal, the true intrigue lies in the Jennings’ navigation of identity, loyalty, and love within a web of lies. The show reveals that the most profound conflicts are not played out on national stages or battlefields but in the spaces of personal connection, where every choice is a line drawn between who we are and who we must pretend to be.

Philip and Elizabeth’s journey reveals that living between two identities is not just a logistical challenge; it is an emotional and psychological geography, a place where self-deception, love, and duty overlap in ways that are often painful and profound. In this way, The Americans asks its audience to consider the borders we draw in our own lives—the invisible lines of loyalty, the boundaries between public and private selves, and the spaces within us that we reserve for those we love, even when love and loyalty seem impossible to reconcile.

Through these intimate, psychological landscapes, The Americans turns espionage into a human story, a map of inner conflicts, shifting loyalties, and the quiet resilience it takes to live a double life. For cultural geographers, the series is a reminder that sometimes, the most complex terrains are not those of cities or nations but the inner landscapes of identity, where loyalties clash, selves are made and remade, and the cost of belonging is never truly paid.