THE ASSOCIATIONS OF FRIENDS OF THE WAY TO SANTIAGO. ALTRUISM AND COLLABORATION

The excessive focus that is often placed on the pilgrims to Santiago has relegated other important aspects to a secondary position. One of them has to do with governance beyond that of the power relationships dominating formal government in which public institutions and the Church play the leading role. One of the fundamental stakeholders for understanding the pilgrimage to Santiago and the whole period prior to its modern-day resurgence, which took place at the beginning of the 1990s, is frequently forgotten. This is an institution which under the generic name of the Associations of Friends of the Camino played a leading role in the second half of the 20th century in recovering and raising awareness of the Jacobean culture. There are more than 300 of these associations distributed throughout the world and they undertake diverse tasks, from managing hostels or preserving routes to organizing pilgrimages or spiritual help to the returning pilgrim. Here, Santos examines the role of the associations, as well as their contribution to the contemporary revival of the Way and their not always easy collaborative relationships with the institutions responsible for managing the Route.