Galt describes Locorontondo and it’s visual geographical surroundings when he first enters the little town in order to give the reader a more comprehensive visual view of its setting. He describes the geographical location of the city of Locorotondo is located on the inside underside of the boot of southern Italy. Galt describes how to reach it, and the visual appearance of the town “trully’s” ( page III) or local peasant dwellings both from a distance and up close. He uses a great deal of detail, describing his impression on his approach to entering the town and the exotic sights. In Chapter 2, Galt begins his discussion of the history of this town, and the influences that helped to shape the character of the town, community and individuals from feudalism to the present day factors that affected the peasants over time. In Chapter 3, Galt give an extensive discussion on the interviews with a 70 year-old local named Martien, who has lived in Locorontondo his whole life. Basically, this chapter allows a look at the changing values of the townspeople over time the most prominent value is that of work that has changed, with the growing industrial culture, some of which are welcomed, like appliances, etc. There are others that have caused the focus to steer away from their previous traditions, i.e. agriculture and other sources of available income by having other sources of income away from home. These offered a more substantial income and modern conveniences. Galt explores the rural landscape and agricultural work traditions that have been effected by the onset of the industrial culture as the original process of handing down land from one generation to generation, now finds areas of land not cultivated. Galt explains the importance of the urban food habits, and how that reflects the pride landowners have in the “fruit of their labor” and the value of the land for what it can produce. In Chapter 4, Galt expounds on the gender roles men, women, work and the rural family play. Men and women and marriage settlements are of great importance and are decided in terms of what is a realistic choice and which would be a wise choice of a partner based on the material assets the chosen partners family can offer to the marriage contract. Galt further discusses gender roles and how they have changed over decades and is process over time. Women tend the land while husbands go to jobs in the cities and come home to finish tilling the soil in the late evenings. In matters of marriage settlements, the male children are built houses and the women that marry outside the families, take with them a dowry. If a woman goes unmarried, her family of origin will build her a home and she will stay with them (41).
“Courtship and engagement are tightly covered by rules” and earlier days with arranged marriages (42). The temptation of daughters is tightly guarded and the potential courting male must approach the family cautiously. Premarital sex happens in secret though as a result, parents hurry to rush marriages especially in case of a pregnancy (40). Children number 5-6 and not all are expected to survive to adulthood, families seem to be permissive and generous to their children, care and respect of old people is a core value. Neighbors find power in gossip and often quarrel over space and hamlets, or arise from quarrels between their children (50). Religious belief systems and old age behavior in women’s gender roles are touched upon and old age. The women once tended the household more in abundance wearing the color of black upon reaching their 40’s and 50’s due to so many personal losses (page 51). Rural belief system revolves around Saints (51). There is still an abundant belief in rural folklore (55), caution of priests and ghosts (53-54). In Chapter 5, Galt, explores the factors that contribute to the socioeconomic condition and social rank that affects the community in the changing times. Most grew up with certain expectations of their career. This is changing with time elite recognizes levels of rank (57) though there does not exist a noble group. Over 35 years social distinction has loosened although not disappeared and is sharply ranked by occupation (62). Artisans have a deep respect for hard work, though different from the peasantry values emphasizing family labor (64). In town homes rarely become part of family marriage systems. Diets differ from town and country. Country diets are monotonous but healthier, including fava beans, greens and fruits, to that of townsman’s eating mostly pasta. Older towns informants give greater importance to neighbor relationships than that of the quarrelsome countrymen between neighbors for space and land (page 69). Another adaptive strategy is that the younger Artisan takes up new trades rather than apprentice to the older ones. Galt’s informants in Chapter 6, were the older population tell him of the loss of intrinsic values, such as work and the knowledge of sacrifice due to too much money (page 80) feeling the young people have too much and nothing left to work for. Differences in the elite and the small elite can be seen in the elaborate and less elaborate constructed mausoleums, educations, weddings, wedding dowry and wedding contracts. Since World War II there has been a rising middle class that has a greater demand for material ownership. They have a broader sense of vocation, marriage choices, and lifestyle choices. In Chapter 7,” Ordinary people, Paperwork and Authority” Galt investigates how people utilize adaptive strategies to obtain jobs by manipulating the system to their personal advantage. This chapter is about social stratification and political power, and about how both are related to forces coming from outside Locorotondo. It deals with how people perceive and deal with such a system (90). An Artisan counts less on people with less authority recognized by the type of work he does. Most important are the personal concerns over the collective whole. Galt states that the individuals needs come first (98-99). He has found that people operate two significant strategies 1) turn to partners who can exert leverage on bureaucracies and 2) local custom is more important than law.
In Chapter 8, what Galt stresses here is “campanilismo”, dialect, regional variation in culture, offers further conversations about Locorotondo, the ambivalence about being southern Italian and the statistics about difference between Locorotondo and other southern Italian places. Galt attempts to depict Locorotondo in the broader context of the region and the Italian nation. It describes some of the ways the “Locorotondesi” see and talk about themselves and each other. Conversations are spoken amongst themselves, and with visitors. It is a evolution and process of the definition of Locorotondo and then the redefinition. Galt finishes with a statistics that try to explain Locorotondo is a different and exceptional among other southern Italian towns, and in what way it has been better being isolated in some ways than some neighboring towns. He further felt that because Locorotondo is closed in and isolated geography, the Italian perspective of how the people distinguish themselves from others, i.e. language, diet, dialects, lore (proverbs), and briefly returns to their belief systems (St. George San Rocco) and the religious celebrations around them and the diffusion of wealth (118).
In conclusion, this ethnography was very well done. And, even though it was done some time ago, I would like very much to see follow up research to seem what further changes have occurred. Galt’s desire to explore the geography area of Locorotondo, the effects of changing times and the evolution of the cultural maturation of the community is very inspiring. The examples and information Galt collected and included in the book were most interesting and really permits further exploration of one own position in society and in their community. Sadly, as Locorotondo becomes more industrialized and the community has to reach beyond their towns’ boundaries, the influence begins and has diluted their old world values and we loose much of the historical tradition. Before factory development in Locorotondo, community and family came first and is primarily importance. In some ways it still is however, involvement and necessity force outside influences that alter that historical tradition as economic and social conditions change. Evolution and change is unavoidable. Maturation of the human being and social development is necessary for the survival of the species although I wonder at what point the turning point will actually be. The winds of change will turn against mankind and we then will destroy our species rather that develop it should we loose our moral obligation to each other. Galt, as a result of his study, concludes that as society changes so do our value systems. Galt seemed to have been satisfied that he thoroughly covered and conveyed his subject matter through the conventional methods of a literature search, interviews with townspeople, living in the hamlet and piecing together the components of his research through a compilation of all this information. I found this to be true from reading his case study, which was exciting and informative. I think that a current study would prove him to be correct in his analysis.
