Julio Caro Baroja
Encyclopedia
Julio Caro Baroja was a world-renowned Basque
Spanish
anthropologist, historian
, linguist
and essayist. He was known for his special interest in Basque culture
, history
and society
. Of Basque
ancestry, he was the nephew of the renowned writer Pio Baroja
; and his brother, painter, writer and engraver Ricardo Baroja
. He is buried at the family's home, Itzea, in Bera (Navarre
).
, a Spanish
writer and ethnologist
who wrote under the pseudonym
Vera Alzate.
As a child he moved to the Navarrese
town of Vera de Bidasoa
where he spent much time with his uncle Pio Baroja
. Pio took great interest and had a very important influence on his education. His early schooling was at the Instituto-Escuela de Madrid from 1921-1931. Later he was attending the University of Madrid
when the Spanish Civil War
broke out. The outbreak took him by surprise and he returned to Vera de Bidasoa
. His father remained in Madrid
and lost his printing press when his publishing headquarters were destroyed during a bombing raid. After the war he returned to Madrid
to complete his studies receiving a PhD (summa cum laude) in Ancient History
. He worked as an assistant in the Ancient History and Dialectology departments until he became Director of the Museo del Pueblo Espanol (1942-1953). In 1947, Baroja was elected corresponding member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language
and the Real Academia de las Buenas Letras of Barcelona
. In 1951 he received a grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research to carry out ethnological research in the United States
.
From 1952-1957, he was in charge of an official Spanish exploration mission in the Spanish Sahara
. He later said, "I have strange images of what I have done... There are things which I have done in a moment of total change, such as when I went to the Sahara and wrote a book about the nomads...but I get the feeling that it was not even me who wrote it".
Having grown up in an isolated community where people still believed in magic
and witchcraft
he became interested in the magical arts. Before he was twenty, he had spoken to elderly people who were convinced that there were "men and women who could change themselves into animals, fly, and do other things. He read numerous books, among them, the works of Pierre de Lancre
. His interest, which had waned during the Spanish Civil War
was renewed during a trip to London
. He bought several more books and, blending his earlier and later findings, brought a more modern view of people in relation to the world around them. In his book entitled The World of the Witches, he believed that The Witches world, like any other social group, changes considerably from one generation to the next. He explained that this book tied social history
in with anthropology
.
In 1952 the British Council
placed him in charge of the guidance of graduates who were to study Anthropology at the University of Oxford
. He also taught Ethnology
at the University of Coimbra in Portugal
. In 1961 he was the Director of Studies of Social and Economic History at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
in Paris
. In 1983 was a recipient of the Prince of Asturias Awards
, and in 1989 he was awarded the Menendez Pelayo International Prize for his research efforts in the field of Spanish Ethnology.
His memory is celebrated throughout Spain
. The Plaza Julio Caro Baroja in San Sebastian and I.E.S. Julio Caro Baroja schools located in Fuenlabrada
near Madrid
; Getxo
in Bilbao
; Malaga
in Andalusia
and Pamplona
in Navarre
, are tributes to his many accomplishments and contributions to the fields of Anthropology and History.
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
anthropologist, historian
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and essayist. He was known for his special interest in Basque culture
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
, history
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
and society
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
. Of Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
ancestry, he was the nephew of the renowned writer Pio Baroja
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98. He was a member of an illustrious family, his brother Ricardo was a painter, writer and engraver, and his nephew Julio Caro Baroja, son of his younger sister Carmen, was a well known...
; and his brother, painter, writer and engraver Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja
Ricardo Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque painter, writer and engraver. As an engraver, he is considered the successor of Goya. He was the brother of the novelist Pío Baroja and writer/ethnologist Carmen Baroja...
. He is buried at the family's home, Itzea, in Bera (Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
).
Biography
Julio was the eldest son of the editor Rafael Caro Raggio who founded the publishing house Editorial Caro Raggio Madrid in 1917. His mother was Carmen BarojaCarmen Baroja
Carmen Baroja Nessi , Spanish writer and ethnologist who wrote under the pseudonym Vera Alzate. She was the sister of the writers Ricardo and Pio Baroja, and mother of the anthropologist Julio Caro Baroja and film director Pio Caro Baroja.-Early life:Carmen was the youngest child of Serafin Baroja,...
, a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
writer and ethnologist
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
who wrote under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Vera Alzate.
As a child he moved to the Navarrese
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
town of Vera de Bidasoa
Bera
Bera may refer to:People* Bera , king of Sodom in Genesis 14* Bera, Count of Barcelona , the first count of Barcelona from 801 to 820* Bera, a Surname among the Mahishya community of West Bengal state of IndiaPlaces...
where he spent much time with his uncle Pio Baroja
Pío Baroja
Pío Baroja y Nessi was a Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98. He was a member of an illustrious family, his brother Ricardo was a painter, writer and engraver, and his nephew Julio Caro Baroja, son of his younger sister Carmen, was a well known...
. Pio took great interest and had a very important influence on his education. His early schooling was at the Instituto-Escuela de Madrid from 1921-1931. Later he was attending the University of Madrid
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
when the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
broke out. The outbreak took him by surprise and he returned to Vera de Bidasoa
Bera
Bera may refer to:People* Bera , king of Sodom in Genesis 14* Bera, Count of Barcelona , the first count of Barcelona from 801 to 820* Bera, a Surname among the Mahishya community of West Bengal state of IndiaPlaces...
. His father remained in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and lost his printing press when his publishing headquarters were destroyed during a bombing raid. After the war he returned to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
to complete his studies receiving a PhD (summa cum laude) in Ancient History
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
. He worked as an assistant in the Ancient History and Dialectology departments until he became Director of the Museo del Pueblo Espanol (1942-1953). In 1947, Baroja was elected corresponding member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language
Euskaltzaindia
Euskaltzaindia is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It carries out research on the language, seeks to protect it, and establishes standards of use...
and the Real Academia de las Buenas Letras of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. In 1951 he received a grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research to carry out ethnological research in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
From 1952-1957, he was in charge of an official Spanish exploration mission in the Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara
Spanish Sahara was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was ruled as a territory by Spain between 1884 and 1975...
. He later said, "I have strange images of what I have done... There are things which I have done in a moment of total change, such as when I went to the Sahara and wrote a book about the nomads...but I get the feeling that it was not even me who wrote it".
Having grown up in an isolated community where people still believed in magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
he became interested in the magical arts. Before he was twenty, he had spoken to elderly people who were convinced that there were "men and women who could change themselves into animals, fly, and do other things. He read numerous books, among them, the works of Pierre de Lancre
Pierre de Lancre
Pierre de Rosteguy de Lancre or Pierre de l'Ancre, Lord of De Lancre , was the French judge of Bordeaux who conducted a massive witch-hunt in Labourd in 1609...
. His interest, which had waned during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
was renewed during a trip to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He bought several more books and, blending his earlier and later findings, brought a more modern view of people in relation to the world around them. In his book entitled The World of the Witches, he believed that The Witches world, like any other social group, changes considerably from one generation to the next. He explained that this book tied social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
in with anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.
In 1952 the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
placed him in charge of the guidance of graduates who were to study Anthropology at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He also taught Ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
at the University of Coimbra in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. In 1961 he was the Director of Studies of Social and Economic History at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1983 was a recipient of the Prince of Asturias Awards
Prince of Asturias Awards
The Prince of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Prince of Asturias Foundation to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs....
, and in 1989 he was awarded the Menendez Pelayo International Prize for his research efforts in the field of Spanish Ethnology.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The Plaza Julio Caro Baroja in San Sebastian and I.E.S. Julio Caro Baroja schools located in Fuenlabrada
Fuenlabrada
Fuenlabrada is a city and municipality located in the Madrid Metropolitan Area, Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located to the southwest of the community, 22,5 km far from the capital, and had a population of 197,836 in 2009. Is the fourth biggest town of Madrid after the capital, Móstoles...
near Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
; Getxo
Getxo
Getxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.It is part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao , and has about 83,000 inhabitants...
in Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
; Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
and Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
in Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, are tributes to his many accomplishments and contributions to the fields of Anthropology and History.