Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2026

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

B.A. in History

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, History

First Advisor

Rafael Ioris

Second Advisor

Trishula Patel

Third Advisor

Daniel Melleno

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

South America, Immigration, Nationalism, Wales, Argentina, Colonialism, Identity construction

Abstract

In this thesis, I examine the Welsh colonies in Patagonia (in Welsh, Y Wladfa) and how the Welsh negotiated their complex identity. Founded in 1865 as a nationalist project intended to preserve Welsh language, culture, and religion, the colony faced extreme hardships and was forced to ask for help. Drawing on British, Welsh and Argentine sources, I argue that Welsh colonists adopted a pragmatic approach to identity, emphasizing their Welshness, Britishness, or Argentinity as needed. While this flexibility was necessary for the colony to survive, it undermined the original goal of a Welsh homeland free of outside influence. Ultimately, the growth of Argentine state power and the realities of life in Patagonia led to the gradual failure of Y Wladfa as a Welsh nationalist project.

Copyright Date

3-17-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Benjamin Welch

Provenance

Received from Author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

32 pgs

File Size

1.14 MB

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