The Corrida. The history of bullfighting from its origins to present day.

By Viviana Ribezzo and Marta Ardesi

History and folklore of Bullfight seen from the bull point of view, with a panoramic on movements, associations and political parties that fight for its abolition.
Thousands of bulls, every year, in Spain, France, Portugal and Latin America, are tortured in name of an absurd and out-of-date show that cannot be defended because of art or culture. And yet, the “corrida” endures. For how long?
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edizioni Cosmopolis
• Release date: Mar 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9788887947748

Book preview

The Corrida. The history of bullfighting from its origins to present day.

By Viviana Ribezzo and Marta Ardesi

First Edition: July 1997

First updated edition: 2015

Cover

Artistic director : [e-mail]

Image : Fotolia, Tilio & Paolo

e-book english version: ISBN 978-88-87947-73-1

e-book italian version: ISBN 978-88-87947-63-2

PDF italian version

Available uniquely on website: www.edizionicosmopolis.it

Cosmopolis snc

Corso Peschiera, 320 - 10139 Torino

Telephone and fax + 39 - 011 71 02 09

[e-mail]

www.edizionicosmopolis.it

Special thanks to Paolo Barbon for his tireless efforts to inform and his battle against the corrida. Sincere thanks to Angela Rossi for the English version of the text.

All rights reserved.

About the authors:

Viviana Ribezzo: Editor, Philosophy graduate with thesis on animal rights. Authored books on the corrida, vegetarianism and animal rights.

Marta Ardesi: traveler, activist, poet.

Index

Foreword

PART ONE.

1997 edition The Corrida. Origins and history of bullfighting

Introduction

1. Origins and history of bullfighting

1.1 Hypothesis on the origins

1.2 Birth of modern bullfighting

2. Interests at stake

2.1 The breeders

2.2 The bullfighters

2.3 Tourism

3. The performance: Technique and strategy. Inside the arena

3.1 The new regulation

3.2 Behind the scenes

4. Death as performance

5. The Fiestas: moral numbness of a population

6. The Church’s stance

7. The expansion of bullfighting

7.1 Bullfighting in France

7.2 The Portuguese toreada

8. Bullfighting: the debate

9. Conclusions

Appendix

Papal Bull LXXIII

Bibliography

PART TWO.

What has changed in the last 20 years?

Where are we now?

1. The situation in Spain

1.1 What are the statistics in Spain?

1.2 What does bullfighting represent today?

1.3 The position of the Catholic Church and the Pope

1.4 Prohibition of bullfighting on Spanish territory

1.5 The long battle to abolish bullfighting

1.6 Feasts and celebrations that continue to exploit and kill animals

2. Bullfighitng in France

3. Bullfighting in Portugal

4. The corrida issue in Latin America

5. Conclusions

Foreword

Why speak (and write) about bullfighting today?

There are ethical battles that are won, others however are lost. Balancing the numbers is impossible. Those whom for decades now have been fighting for the abolition of the corrida and bullfighting in general, always seem to win halfway.

For years now in Italy there is no more talk about bullfighting; no campaign has raised the matter again and while the issue is still open and crucial in the rest of the world, no animal welfare group seems to want to speak on behalf of bulls. The issue seems to be completely forgotten in the Bel Paese. Other battles, issues and priorities drive activists, citizens and animal welfare groups to mobilize throughout the Italian regions via demonstrations, flash-mobs and protests that are felt and experienced with great passion and engagement. If in fact bullfighting is considered a thing of the past in Italy, it is equally true that in Spain, Portugal, France and Latin America, this argument can inflame souls and drive hundreds of people to protest for permanent abolition. Debates, arguments, repeated confrontations are a constant, since bullfighting is a priority in these countries.

In Italy we protest against the use of fur, New Year’s Eve fireworks, animal testing, intesive breeding and against all that touches us profoundly and this is most probably the focal point - the corrida is not our thing nor our ‘culture’. Although familiar, it is not close to our hearts to the point of compelling us into action. Perhaps for all these reasons, over the years, bullfighting has become a non-existant question.

Are Italians pro or anti bullfighting? Does current data exist that can help with this reflection? Does anyone in this country understand the actual situation of bullfighting across the world?

Bullfighting is confronted with an obvious state of abandonment which has led to some honest questioning on the sense of persisting any discussion and documentation on the topic.

Reading a book twenty years after its publication is a risk, especially if it is what we might call a closed affair due to general disinterest.

So the answer to the question is a resounding yes, it does still make sense to speak and write about bullfighting and the reason is clear; because it matters a great deal to us.

We believe that a battle, although apparently abandoned by most, must not be considered lost or concluded. When we reflect on it, all ethical battles initiate in a very similar way: I care about it and I fight in the name of this cause.

In the rest of the world, bullfighting matters a great deal! Millions continue to incessantly demand a permanent ban. Theirs is a voice which never extinguished despite the long years of protests and demonstrations, despite the recognition of victories big and small, albeit exasperatingly slow, despite the exponential increase of important debates. These issues are all worthy of utmost attention and the time necessary to seriously propel them forward.

A permanent ban is not an easy victory. It has never been, and the warriors for this cause are only too aware of it. Battles are not started because they are easy to win, but because of passion, because we think about it relentlessly, because it represents us profoundly and defines who we are as people.

Although an invisible and unpopular battle, it is imperative to continue writing about bullfighting twenty years later. What matters is that it is a just and sacred battle, one which can neither be abandoned nor forgotten given the number of animals killed and the futile, gratuitous violence involved. One does exit mid battle, nor when potential defeat looms.

Is the abolition of the corrida a lost cause? Perhaps not; in fact important goals have been achieved and it remains a gruelling but not impossible victory.

Part One of this new edition is fully replicated and a completely new section features a detailed and current overview of the corrida and bullfighting in the world.

PART ONE

1997 edition

The Corrida. Origins and history of bullfighting

Introduction

Cruelty offered up as entertaiment is customary of ancient origins, from which significant testimonies can be found among all the Mediterranean countries and the cultures who gradually inhabited the region. For example, during the gladiator games of ancient Rome, the Colosseum was often theatre to spectacular massacres, where every opportunity provided a pretext for this decimation, from military victories to the coronation of emperors.

To modern man, the scale and method of these massacres are hard to imagine. For instance, over 5,000 wild animals and 6,000 domestic animals were sacrificed for the inauguration of the Roman amphitheater.The animals were not alone to lose their lives