The third talk in the Canning House - Instituto Cervantes joint history series that chronicles 'The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire' looks at 'Recreation, Sport and the Long Demise of the Spanish Empire in the Americas'. The talk will be given by Dr Matthew Brown, University of Bristol.
The lecture will address the questions of how new sports, games, recreations and pastimes came to be established in the Spanish-speaking Americas after Independence. To what extent was football seen as a manifestation of British informal empire, or baseball as an extension of U.S. neocolonialism? Drawing on a range of cases from across the continent, based on new archival research conducted across South America, the lecture will assess the ongoing popularity of Spanish popular games, including bull-fighting and cock-fighting. It will conclude by assessing the extent to which Independence was a cultural as well as a political and military process.
The price of each ticket is £5 for members and £10 for non-members. There will be a wine reception to follow.