The raquetistas in the history of Basque Pelota

In the 1910s, a new form of Basque pelota, the racket, was inaugurated, played mainly by women and analogous to frontenis, but with a leather ball. Despite the industrial success of the sport and the fact that it was played professionally until 1980, the history of pelota has been built on its omission and exalting the masculinity of the sport. Why? What happened to the racket and what can it tell us about the History of Basque Pelota and the present of the sport in general?

Olatz González, Professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and president of the Basque Association of Anthropology, Ankulegi, will talk to us about all this on Thursday, 21 September at 18:00 at the Basque Country Architecture Institute.

Olatz González Abrisketa

Professor at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and president of the Basque Association of Anthropology, Ankulegi, her main research topic has been the implications of sport in the configuration of subjectivities, sexes and national imaginaries. Of particular note are the books Raquetistas (Sans Soleil, 2022) and Pelota vasca: un ritual, una estética (2005) and the articles “Cuerpos desplazados” (2013) and “La invención de los objetos” (2020). She has also directed, together with Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth, the film Pelota II (2015), and the exhibition Jokoak: materia y desafío, held at the San Telmo Museum in 2016.