Consuming the past into the present: The case of the Iberians (Valencia, Spain)

Beatriz Santamarina,Tono Vizcaíno

doi:10.1017/s0940739120000302

Beatriz Santamarina, Tono Vizcaíno

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/s0940739120000302

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Abstract

AbstractIn this article, we aim to focus on how the Iberian past (sixth century to the first century BC) has been used both to shape identities and to produce values in the marketplace and how the triad of the past, authenticity, and tradition is key in the commodification of the Iberian world. To do so, we will examine developments in the village of Moixent (Valencia, Spain). In this town, the Iberians and their archaeological remains are presented as the protagonists of the area, accompanied by several “heritage stratifications.” Through case studies of family-run wineries, we analyze the process of symbolic appropriation of the Iberians in the local wine sector and its confluence with cultural tourism as well as how it has led to the development of territorial branding based on the past.

Highlights

In 2000, Celler del Roure, a small family-run winery that opened in 1996 in the village of Moixent (Valencia, Spain) launched its wine named Les Alcusses
In this article, we aim to focus on how the Iberian past has been used both to shape identities and to produce values in the marketplace and how the triad of the past, authenticity, and tradition is key in the commodification of the Iberian world
We aim to focus on how the Iberian past was used both to shape identities and to produce values in the marketplace and how the triad of the past, authenticity, and tradition is key in the commodification of the Iberian world

Summary

Introduction

In 2000, Celler del Roure, a small family-run winery that opened in 1996 in the village of Moixent (Valencia, Spain) launched its wine named Les Alcusses. The wine was persuasively named Les Alcusses, and its label design displayed fragments of an Iberian text found at the site, reproducing the original script. The requirements of cognitive capitalism or of capitalism without capital have led stakeholders to aggregate intangible values so as to provide products with a competitive edge.9 According to this logic, we can interpret Celler del Roure’s strategy and the use of the past as a marketing strategy. The demand for heritage in post-Fordist capitalism and the need to think of ourselves and find certainties in an unleashed, liquid, or unmoored world, full of fractured identities and fragmented meta-narratives, are the two sides of the same coin.11 Today, both of these factors allow us to approach how we bridge the gap between our past and our present. The techniques used in this research included participant observation (archaeological sites and Iberian re-enactments), interviews with key sources (experts, technical staff, local residents, and visitors), and the analysis of media content, legislation, official documents, textbooks, tourist pamphlets, websites, and consumer products and services

The Iberians and their political instrumentalization

Marketing the Iberians

The Iberians as a brand

Discussion