421 Zenbakia 2007-12-21 / 2008-01-04

Euskobooks

Egilea: Pedro Oiarzabal Argitaletxea: UNOHP Orrialde kopurua: 452 ISBN: 1-56475-396-4 Ezaugarriak: In 1967 a small Basque studies program was established within the social sciences division of the University of Nevada’s Desert Research Institute. As originally conceived, the program’s purpose was to study the Basques (who were historically the foremost sheep tenders in the American West) as a key human element in the Great Basin ecosystem. At the time, no one imagined that such a modest, narrowly focused little undertaking could grow to become today’s Center for Basque Studies, the leading research and educational institute of its kind outside the European Basque homeland. A Candle in the Night chronicles the history of the center, as remembered by many of those who were most important in its foundation and development. Within the context of this story, it also offers much valuable information about the center’s offspring. These include the vast Basque Studies Library, which is the main repository of information about all things Basque for the English-speaking world; the Basque Book Series of the University of Nevada Press, one of the most successful ethnic series published by an academic press in the United States; and the University Studies Abroad Consortium, which, with a presence in twenty-five countries, is one of the largest programs of its kind in the world. While the Center for Basque Studies has achieved great things and has much of which to be proud, the road to success was not uniformly smooth. A Candle in the Night gives the reader the kind of multi-faceted understanding of issues and personalities that is often missing from official institutional histories.