Small Nation, Big Sport: Basque Ball - Its Past and Present Cultural Meanings for the Basques.

The Basques are a nation living in the Basque Country - a territory that is divided between two states - France and Spain. Isolated in the mountainous terrain they have preserved their original culture and collective identity. However, they still need to struggle for recognition, using some elements of their own culture to promote their identity and reject their status as a peripheral region of Spain or France. One of such elements is sport, especially so-called ‘traditional sports’ which this nation has preserved over centuries. The aim of this paper is thus to analyze one example of such a sport - Basque ball and its historical and present situation, connections with other elements of culture and its socio-cultural importance for the Basques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]