BETWEEN INTEGRATIONAND SEGREGATION. A DIALECTIC VIEWOF THE USE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE BY THE BULGARIAN COMMUNITY IN VALLADOLID (SPAIN).
ABSTRACT. Modern cities are composed of a large range of different cultural groups which contributes all together to the creation of the urban scenery. Migrants can be considered as one of the most visible cultural groups in the town. In the case of Valladolid, the Bulgarian community is the biggest migrant community. They started to arrive at the beginning of the XIst Century, and now are one of the most integrated collective in the town. In this paper I will explore the role of Cultural Heritage in the making of the town, and its relation with the integration process of a migrant community. I will describe how the management of Cultural Heritage becomes a way of empowerment of the group. Through participation in the different rituals, the local and migrant groups develop a sense of belonging that lays the ground for the process of the making of the city. First of all, I will consider two simultaneous processes: the important role of Cultural Heritage in the group definition and the importance of the group definition in the management of the Cultural Heritage. This will allow offering a kind of classification of the different rituals of Valladolid according to the participation of migrant people. Secondly, I will discuss the relationship between the management of Cultural Heritage and the participation in the city life. This participation will help comprehend the dialectical process between the integration and segregation of migrants in relation to their management of Cultural Heritage. The higher the participation, the stronger the boundaries of the group. Strong boundaries should be understood within the discourse of cultural difference. Such a discourse can turn into a segregation process. Hence, integration should be regarded along with segregation. Thirdly, I will examine how the participation in the management and performance of some rituals is a way to take part in the process of the making of the town. The management of Cultural Heritage has a big influence on the process of emergence of new meanings for the urban space. The centre and the periphery are continuously redefined by the action of the social subjects living in the town. Migrants can take part in this process through their participation in the different rituals along the year.